Colours and the Sky
by CanYouLoveTheImaginary
Summary: Sinking into a spiral of mysterious and threatening circumstances, Ginny starts wondering if she has anyone left to trust while Remus has been struggling with this question all his life. The final battle is coming, and these two will need each other before it hits. GWRL
1. The Ministry

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the wonderful world of Harry Potter. If I owned Remus Lupin or Draco Malfoy, I probably wouldn't be up late writing fanfiction in my bed… I would have better things to do in here ;)

Author's note: This is my second foray into the world of the Ginny Weasley and Remus Lupinpairing. I just finished my other with them called **Against the Grain**, so if you're into the pair and haven't done so already, you might want to check it out! Anyways, enjoy!

Another little note, this is going to be set after Hogwarts; Ginny is going to be about 21, Remus will be about 42.

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><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

"He's seeing someone in his office now, you can wait out here for them to finish," the snappish, prematurely grey-haired, nose-in-the-air secretary for the Head of the Auror Office explained without taking her eyes off the report she was clearly pretending to be working diligently on.

Ginny stood in front of her desk for a long moment, battling with her immediate instinct to snap out and inform her that if Rufus Scrimgeour asked to see Ginevra Weasley at eight in the morning, he should be ready to see her at eight in the morning. Also, tell her how rude it is not to bother looking someone in the eye while speaking to them. After having literally bitten her tongue, Ginny finally stepped back and made her irritated way to the empty seats against the far wall.

Ms. Secretary didn't bat an eye.

_Sometimes you have to choose your battles,_ Ginny thought with an uncanny amount of restraint (for her at least). This was not the time to blow up at her boss or his secretary, lack of caffeine or no. She slumped in the chair farthest from the horrendous woman's desk without satisfaction as immediately the polished wood seemed to cling to every exposed piece of her warm skin. After unsticking herself a few times, and becoming as comfortable as she possibly would be, Ginny started to feel the anxiety of this meeting growing inside her like some sort of despicable parasite.

She knew exactly why she'd been called in, she'd been expecting it for days but since Scrimgeour had been abroad lately working in Germany with the European Auror Liaison Office (or EALO) trying to gain foreign support for the ever increasing threat of Voldemort and his multiplying faction of Death Eaters, he'd been a little busy.

Ginny looked up at the magical ceiling fan, allowing herself to be calmed by the spinning blades as she miserably recalled her previous mission and the events that led to her being asked to come in early on a Friday morning, too early to wake up any _earlier_ to get herself her much needed coffee in the AM, though it would have surely been worth the pain. A girl needs her coffee, alright?

The raid had been in the works for months. It was a small Death Eater safe-house on the outskirts of northern London. Intel had discovered its existence last July but it wasn't until reconnaissance and surveillance teams were called in did they realized what a significant find they'd made.

In Ginny's seventh and final year at school the battle that had been building for eighteen years finally erupted on the fields of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Voldemort and his force of miscreant creatures and his power hungry, pureblood supremacist followers challenged the protection of the school and Albus Dumbledore's leadership in the wizarding world.

The battle lasted three gruelling nights which have been held in honour each year since on the fourth, fifth and sixth of May for those who fought and fell defending their friends, family and countrymen. Both sides lost many, but in the end it came down to sheer passion and will to live that won the battle for the students, staff, families and Aurors. Though, it is impossible to speak of their success without mentioning the alliance between Dumbledore and the magical creatures which inhabited the forest. If the centaurs and Acromantula had not joined the fray, Voldemort's giants and wolves would have devoured every last one of them without mercy.

The battle had been fought and won, but Voldemort had not been defeated. He and Harry met in a ferocious combat that will be remembered for generations to come. But neither came out victorious. Voldemort's army was severely injured and his followers were scattered, but with his malice and determination still alive, the war went on.

In fleeing, Voldemort had learned a valuable lesson: in open battle, strength could be overcome, enemies' powers could be underestimated and even the slightest overconfidence and miscalculation could spell utter ruin. He decided to change his tactics: recruiting in secret, subtly manipulating those in power, staying away from any of Britain's watchful eyes. He was succeeding, gaining back his full strength in the shadows. There was no way to track him as he never stopped moving and his erratic destinations, which made sense to no one save him, always left the Order one step behind. Wherever he touched down turned to evil and disarray. Groups sympathetic to his cause were popping up all around the country, somehow coming together to spread fear and mistrust throughout the communities.

No one knew who they could trust, and people were soon growing too afraid to even try. Was it worth the risks of their loved ones? It was just a matter of time before those responsible banded together and assembled their own recruiting bases, growing ever more independent yet loyal to their Lord. The safe-houses started popping up one year after the Battle of Hogwarts. All over the country potential Death Eaters were being trained, tested and educated to the will of a man most had never even met. The development was quick and soon these simple facilities were turned into near impenetrable safety zones for all who pledge allegiance to the pureblood cause.

With the weak minded Minister bought off with alluring promises of leadership, gold and safety, progress was made even more difficult by the passing of new laws and regulations, instated simply to do _exactly_ what they were doing. Requests to raid any of the known locations of such safety zones took weeks, sometimes months, to process and by that time it was always too late.

They always knew.

This meant two things. There were leaks in the Ministry, but in times such as this, the Ministry would always be infiltrated. It was simply too difficult to keep tabs on every employee and their families and whether through fear, blackmail or greed, some were bound to turn sides. But it also reassured the Auror divisions' suspicions that there was a central location for Death Eater intelligence: a specific headquarters of sorts that would be able to pass along information to all the subsequent branches across the country. It also accounted for the monetary mysteries that kept surfacing.

Despite appearances, most of the pureblood society in the wizarding world had had their family fortunes squandered generations ago. Very few pureblooded families in Britain, save perhaps the Malfoys, Parkinsons and Longbottoms, had the acclaimed galleons to back their names. Some were lucky enough to remain land-rich, but most had no option but to integrate into muggle-born and half-blood society or rot away in squalor and filth like the last of the Gaunts. Both options would prove distasteful and unsuitable for one of the old bloodlines, so they would leap at the chance to have their children or themselves join those seeking to abolish the mixing of the bloods and reinstate the purebloods to their "proper" place.

But the money had to come from somewhere and it had to be regulated. Where better a place than London, right under their very noses? It was the centre for the health system of St. Mungos, the banking system of Gringotts and the political center in the Ministry. The Aurors knew they would find it in their backyard, but Fudge's new policies made it impossible to get a go ahead to begin the search.

Then the disappearances started again as they always did when Voldemort began to grow more confident. First from smaller towns, members of the community would simply vanish, sometimes from bigger cities and well established wizarding communities, all from areas Voldemort had been known to have passed through. But when Ministry members began to disappear without any response of action, Dumbledore intervened.

No one knows for certain what was said on that fateful day when those two men of power were alone together in Fudge's office for those three hours, no one except Fudge and Dumbledore. But when the two emerged, Scrimgeour was given the okay and the resources to begin his search. However vain, greedy and power hungry Fudge may have been, Dumbledore could instil in him a fear unequalled by any Dark Lord. No amount of gold could fill the hole in his spirit that Dumbledore always managed to expose.

Ginny remembered the day well. Kingsley Shaklebolt, the commander of the Auror field-agents had entered her office with an uncharacteristically happy expression. "We've got the go ahead. You're on the team that's going in," was all he said before leaving to spread the news around to the rest of the bureau.

Ginny sat in her closet-like space with her mouth open for the longest period, trying her hardest to let his words sink in until finally she leapt out of her chair as she let out a little _whoop,_ dancing around her limited space, knocking reports and quills off her desk. Similar exclamations of joy could be heard throughout the office; some had been waiting for over a year for this break to come.

She also had an extra reason for being so ecstatic, Kingsley had put _her _on the team that was finally going to get to find the London house and secure it.

She'd only been an agent for five months, having finished her training in September. With the recent run of things, she'd only been out for three field assignments, none of which were particularly eventful as they had always shown up after their targets had cleared out. All they could do was secure the empty buildings and file the painfully redundant paperwork that Fudge had deemed necessary.

Not this time.

She knew Kingsley trusted her through and through, he'd known her father since she was just a baby, he'd spent many evenings in Order headquarters when it had been re-established in her fourth year and they fought side by side in the Battle of Hogwarts. Picking her for this mission was a great demonstration of his faith in her and she made a promise to herself not to let him down.

But there she sat in Scrimgeour's office, waiting to be called in. Ginny knew in her heart that if she hadn't done what she had, they would have lost more than one agent. In the midst of a battle, risks had to be taken, decisions had to be made without hesitation when there wasn't enough time to consult the authorities that weren't there in real-time. Ginny understood and took full responsibility for what had happened, though given the chance again, she knew she wouldn't have done anything differently.

The door on the far side of the office opened and out came Rufus Scrimgeour and Mafalda Hopkirk, head of the Improper Use of Magic Office. They were just finishing up their conversation. "We'll set a date for your people to meet with my Aurors sometime next week."

"Thank you for your time, Rufus," Mafalda returned and they shook hands in parting as she walked passed Ginny and left the office.

"Miss Weasley is here to see you," the secretary intoned sourly, causing Ginny to wonder how the hell she ever got her job. _That's _Agent_ Weasley, to you_, Ginny thought crossly.

"Yes, thank you, Miranda," he replied, looking over to where she'd been sitting for the last five or so minutes. "Agent Weasley, why don't you come in?" he requested, holding the door open for her.

Ginny stood up quickly, eyes watering as she felt the back of her thighs lose a layer of skin to the cruel plastic seat. She contained the few choice words she kept especially in mind for situations such as this, feeling that her mother would be very proud of her. She passed the foul woman's desk and received a dirty look. Ginny had to forcefully control herself from sticking out her tongue.

She entered the office with Scrimgeour following behind after he had shut the door. It was a very simple room, one very polished desk with two chairs facing it. The walls were lined with newspaper clippings, going back from before Ginny was even born. Behind the desk was a framed Auror certification similar to the one hanging in hers. A simulated window looking out the wall showed the beginning of the day to be clear and bright. Scrimgeour sat down behind his desk and motioned for her to do so as well.

"Well Agent Weasley, I'm sure you're aware of why I called this meeting today," he began. Ginny's heart began to pound in her chest and she felt her face flushing under his gaze.

This was only her second time speaking with the man. The first had been when he'd handed her that signed certificate on her graduation into the office. She knew from her connection in the Order that if they ever managed to get Fudge out of his comfortable position, Rufus Scrimgeour was the top contender for his post. She made sure to give him a steady, confident look whilst trying not to feel like she was thirteen, back in Hogwarts getting lectured by her professors in _their_ offices.

"Yes, sir."

"Hmm," was all he said for a moment, seeming to consider what was going to follow. Ginny swallowed nervously. "Kingsley has nothing but good things to say about you and your performance over these last few months."

"Oh," Ginny replied, thrown off kilter for a moment at the unexpected praise, "I appreciate his kind words. He's been an inspiring commander to work under."Scrimgeour gave her a long look before nodding in acknowledgment. He was clearly a man of few words.

"Well Weasley, I've read the reports from your last mission so we both know why you're here," Ginny tried not to sigh, they both most certainly did. "But I would like to hear your account of things."

Ginny adjusted herself in her seat, too jittery to sit comfortably, she held herself on the very edge of the chair. She'd been going over the mission from morning to night ever since she'd gotten back from it, thinking through every detail, every action. Everything she wanted to say came pouring out in a coherent flow of that night's chronology. "There were five of us assigned to the raid. Myself, Agent McKinnon and Agent Dunn were from Kingsley's field-agent division and our curse-breakers were Agents Johansen and Nicholl. With the Intel we got from our scouts in the surveillance office over the last few months, our five man team was more than enough." Ginny paused because from here on in things got messy.

"We were going to apparate a mile from the location just before dawn and continue on foot. Our two breakers would work quickly on the wards that were reportedly in place and we would be in before anyone even knew we were there. The reports made known to us that there were ―at most― four people in the safe-house at all times. We had them outnumbered and the advantage of surprise, they shouldn't have stood a chance. Once we disabled the floo and set up our own Disapparation wards, they'd have nowhere to go but with us back to the Ministry."

Scrimgeour listened attentively. Ginny knew that he knew all this already, he'd read the report, but she wanted to get everything out exactly how it had happened.

"When we reached the location, everything went wrong." Ginny suppressed a shudder as she remembered the exact moment that they realized they'd been set up. "We got there at the right time and the house was quiet and dark, but when Nicholl started up on the first of the wards, hell broke loose. There were new defences all around the building that we weren't prepared for; she was thrown back as soon as she touched it. Light exploded from inside the building and for a brief, crucial moment we were all blinded. Eight Death Eaters, robed and masked, came out and began to fire curses at us. It was so obvious they'd been waiting for us. Somehow they knew were coming and when." Ginny tried to keep the bitterness from her voice. It was not the first time there had been leaks in the office.

"We had to stay around Nicholl while Agent McKinnon, our primary Healer, got her back to consciousness. Lucky for us it was just a stunning ward, but until her and Johansen brought it down, we were stuck out there. They'd erected their own Disapparating wards so the tables were turned and it was us who couldn't get away. The battle continued and finally they had us so overpowered that they came out from their own wards to surround us. Even with Nicholl back in the fight, we had no chance. Dunn was hurt and eventually Johansen was down. One of the masked men threw something at us, it was small and didn't look like much, but it exploded in a burning flash of hot, white light. We had no defence." She remembered their helplessness.

"There was a lot of confusion as we tried to keep our backs to each other and not hit our own team members with any of our curses. Somehow in the fray, Agent Dunn was grabbed by one of them. I tried to get a hold of him but as soon as he was taken, the group began to retreat back to the protection of their wards. We were no longer a threat, Johansen was down, McKinnon and I were exhausted and Nicholl was struggling with what looked like a dislocated shoulder."

"With a member of your team now taken, how did you react?" Scrimgeour asked, speaking for the first time since she'd begun her narration.

"I was furious, sir," Ginny admitted with deep sincerity. "I wasn't going to lose another team member to those monsters," she explained, pushing away the painful emotions and memories that came with those words. "I wanted to go in there after him. I wasn't going to let Dunn disappear like all the others. You know we've never found anyone who's been taken yet."

"What was Agent McKinnon's reaction? He was your team leader, am I correct? And with Agent Johansen's status, you were down two men when they already had you outnumbered nearly two to one."

This was where things got difficult. It was getting to the point where Ginny's presence in Rufus Scrimgeour's office was going to be brought up.

"Agent McKinnon did not want to pursue. We were clearly defeated, Johansen probably needed to be brought to St. Mungos and Nicholl's was working on staying conscious, even after McKinnon had realigned her arm into its socket. With the wards still up, we were beyond screwed," Scrimgeour coughed a little and Ginny added an apology for her language before continuing.

"I told McKinnon that I wasn't going to leave Dunn behind. We had no time to contact headquarters and get another group to back us up, he could have been gone anywhere by then. McKinnon was hesitant, he didn't want to take the risk but Nicholl was on my side and finally, McKinnon agreed. With Johansen down and McKinnon tending to him, it was Nicholl and I who had to start tearing down the new wards. I had only the minimum Auror training for taking them down, but with her experience and both of our perseverance, we pushed on through."

"And did you manage to get through all of their wards?"

"We broke through many of them, but the more wards you've got around a building, the more complex they become, all having to work together. Nicholl and I reached a standpoint where we couldn't bring anything more down. It was a very sophisticated Wand Ward: anyone carrying an unchecked wand could not pass."

"That sounds like a level D Ministry issued protection ward, does it not?" Scrimgeour asked contemplatively.

"We thought so too, sir."

"Hmm, please continue."

"Yes, sir. Well at this time we realized we weren't going to be able to get passed it and so we had a choice to make. Some of the wards were only disabled while we were physically holding them back with our own magic; once we left they would be reactivated. It took two of us to hold them off, so only one of us would be able to go in and as it stood, they would be unarmed. Agent Nicholl's was the only experience curse-breaker that we had left, and Agent McKinnon couldn't leave Johansen so the decision was a simple one. When McKinnon found out what I was going to do, he tried to stop me, but I'd already dropped my wand and was inside the building's protection. He tried to come after me but with only Nicholl left battling the wards, she lost power quickly and most reaffirmed themselves."

There was a thick silence in the office. Scrimgeour's piercing expression was impossible to read but Ginny did not blanch. She knew what she'd done had been insane and reckless, but if given the chance, she would do it all over again. "You entered a Death Eater safe-house unarmed, without any sort of back up against your team leader's orders." It wasn't a question, merely a restating of fact. "What were your thoughts at this time, Agent Weasley? This was your first serious mission as I understand."

"I was thinking a lot about my training, about working with Alastor Moody in defensive combat. He always made a special point to remind us that witches and wizards too often become conditioned to believing that their only weapon or protection is in their wand. It is the mind, the body and the will to survive that protect us, and my heart was pounding with the will to come out of this alive with my friend and partner. If I couldn't make a difference in freeing him, I was thinking that maybe I would be able to catch where they would take him, or even apprehend one of the Death Eaters. I was thinking that while there was breath in my body I could do something, _anything._"

"How did you get inside the building?" he asked without commenting on any of Ginny's reply to his previous question.

"They figured they'd had us pretty badly beaten and that we wouldn't be able to get through their protective enchantments, which was very nearly correct, so as far as guards go, the outside was quiet. I decided to go around the now still house and find a subtler way to get in other than the front door. The back was cluttered with overgrowth and a derelict fence that I had to climb over, but otherwise my path was clear. The back door was locked with magic and I wasn't going to be able to get through it without alerting the whole house to my presence. For a short while I nearly succumbed to misery as I thought I had failed, but a crack of light coming from the second floor caught my attention. I looked up through the spaces between the wooded planks that made up the balcony above me and I saw that the door leading out to it was left unlocked and open. The faint smell of cigarettes told me that someone had probably been up there smoking recently and was potentially still nearby on the inside. I used a window's ledge to give me a step up so that I could reach the bottom of the railing's spindles. With some improvised manoeuvring on my part, I finally managed to hoist myself up to the second story. I quickly climbed over the rail and pressed myself against the wall beside the open door so as not to be seen by anyone looking out. I waited like a statue in the shadows for any sound from inside before I chanced a glance through the open crack. A man of about forty was leaning against the far wall twirling his wand in the air. His mask was off but I didn't recognize him. He looked mostly bored and inattentive or else he would have noticed the door opening a little further."

"And how did you get passed him if he had his wand on him?"

"Well, I..." Ginny tired her very hardest, but still she blushed. "Itookoffmyshirt," she explained as quickly as possible.

Scrimgeour stared at her perplexed for a long minute. "Excuse me?"

She took a deep, embarrassed breath before continuing. "There was no way I wasn't going to get my face cursed off if I stepped inside and surprised him, so I, uh, sort of distracted him... by taking my shirt off."

Scrimgeour's face turned bright red as he choked on his own saliva. "That worked?" he coughed out finally.

Even in spite of her embarrassment, Ginny had to resist the urge to smirk. "Well sir, men are pretty easily distracted," she swore she saw Scrimgeour's eyes flicker down to her chest in wonderment. "It was over pretty quickly, he nearly tripped over himself by the time he realized that I'd infiltrated the house, but by then I was on him and knocked him out with a respectable punch to the face. I caught his body before he hit the ground and lay him down softly so as not to alert the rest of the house. I claimed his wand and dragged him out to the balcony where I bound and gagged him and got decent."

Scrimgeour was clearly still trying to regain his Head Auror composure. "What happened next? Agents Green and Bleams arrived sometime around then, did they not?"

"I was in there for about twenty minutes before anyone arrived. During this time I managed to incapacitate three other men and find where they were keeping Agent Dunn. I disarmed his jailors but couldn't move him as his injuries were so severe. They had been torturing him. My arrival was discovered somewhere within the house, I hadn't been able to hide most of the men I'd knocked out, so I barricaded the both of us inside the small room. By this time I was already weak and it didn't help that I was using a wand that wasn't my own. I knew that the first place they would check was their prisoner's room so I hadn't much time. I thought we were done for as they were working like maniacs to break through my feeble protections. Soon there was a hole large enough for them to send curses through. I got hit with the Cruciatus Curse as I was blocking Dunn and I went down. My shields were destroyed and any second they would have gotten at us. If Agent Green and Agent Bleams hadn't gotten through the wards in time with McKinnon and Nicholl, I'm not sure what would have happened," she concluded humbly.

"Yes, it was lucky for everyone involved that Kingsley sent in the pair of them when your team didn't report on schedule." Ginny didn't even want to imagine just _how _lucky she really had been.

"Well Agent Weasley, your mission was to raid the safe-house and apprehend those inside. We now have four Death Eaters in custody and due to your quick action, Agent Dunn was recovered." Ginny wasn't about to feel relieved because she had a sneaky suspicion the 'but' was still coming.

"Ginevra," he began, using her first name as a sign of familiarity, "as an Auror and sympathizer to your cause I commend your selflessness and steel bravery, but as Head of this department and with the responsibility of each and every Auror in this division, I must say what you did was reckless. It was dangerous to enter their safe-house by yourself without your wand. Our resources are spread thin already, and it would have been a great blow to us to lose not just Dunn, but you as well. Even Johansen, if he'd been injured severely enough, would have been another loss. It was great luck that all of you got out in one piece," he finished with an exhausted sigh.

"You're right sir, I know what I did wasn't in the best interest of the Ministry, but I couldn't live with myself if I walked away from a fellow man, a friend of mine."

"Agent Dunn wouldn't have been the first Auror you've known to be taken, would he?"

Ginny didn't exactly know what to make of his change in tone, so she nodded in agreement. She'd known more missing people now than she cared to.

"You were quite close with Agent Donahue, were you not?"

For a moment all Ginny could do was stare at him open mouthed in surprise. She finally collected herself together enough to reply. "I―yes, we were close. I had been… involved… with him before I began my Auror training." She was quite taken aback at how her private business managed to reach all the way up to her boss. _How much higher did it go, seriously? _she wondered in annoyance. The last person she wanted to be talking about was Edward Donahue.

"He was reported missing nearly two months ago," Scrimgeour added, looking for any sort of reaction. By now Ginny had become quite adept at suppressing them in relation to him.

"Yes, and like the others, there's been no news or sighting since then," she replied evenly. Scrimgeour gave her that detested look of deep sympathy.

"Well Weasley, here it is. Every Auror you have ever trained or worked under sings nothing but praise for your performance, ethics, and determination. You haven't had much real field experience, but all the work you have so far been a part of has yielded the highest results. Kingsley Shacklebolt doesn't have as much faith in a lot of his senior Aurors as he does in you. It's not too difficult to see why. You have defended your actions well and it's obvious that you were working solely towards the benefit of others in the line of duty. If it was up to me, I would shake your hand and this meeting would be over," he sighed, Ginny already knew what was coming, "but as it is, this is not up to me anymore. Yours and your team's report has made its way to the top for the Minister to see and he has taken it upon himself to tell me what he would like to be done."

During the brief pause Scrimgeour allowed, Ginny tried to brace herself for the unpleasantness she knew was going to come. "You have been given three months suspension."

"_Three months?"_ Ginny cried, almost falling off her seat. There must be some mistake. Scrimgeour nodded his head with regret.

"Ginevra, I know it's hard and for your infraction, it _is_ quite a severe punishment, but looking at it from a Minister's point of view, he's got a new Auror who disobeyed orders and went on a solo suicide mission into a Death Eater safety den." Ginny was having troubles breathing. _What am I going to do now? _is all that kept rolling through her head.

"Shacklebolt has been fighting in your defense, but once Fudge's mind is made up…" He didn't have to finish. Fudge's mind had been giving the whole department nothing but grief until very recently. "You will be given half of your wages during the suspension, and the rest of this month's full pay." Ginny was barely registering what he was trying to tell her, but she nodded along anyways. This was a big blow to her life.

"Look Ginevra, I know this is going to be tough. You've got a lot on your plate and you've been through much recently. I think now this might be something you can take advantage of, after losing Agent Donahue and almost losing your partner Agent Dunn, you might want to spend some time away from the office, spend some time on yourself. These three months are going to pass like a blur and before you know it, you're going to be back here doing the work you're so clearly meant to do," he stood from his desk and Ginny numbly followed suit.

He extended his hand and she lightly shook it, pulling away after a moment as he held on longer than needed. "I wish you the best of luck, Agent Weasley."

He went and opened the door for her as she brushed past him, not thinking of anything except getting out of there. As she passed the secretary's desk she heard that snide voice call out to her. "You forgot to sign the visitor's book!" but Ginny was already out and into the hall before the last sound of her voice faded away.

Her feet took over for her mind, travelling along the memorized path to her own office where she diligently avoided any other early risers in her own bureau. She had a feeling that everyone would hear the news this morning and she did not want to see the same looks of absolute pity on each of their faces.

She slipped into her office unnoticed and quietly shut the door. She sat at her desk for a moment before have to stand and walk around, trying to figure out what she would bring home with her and what she was going to do with herself for the next ninety days. She paced around the office a number of redundant times, not even sure what she was looking for before her eye caught on something flickering on top of her desk. There was a folded copy of the day's Daily Prophet and as she smoothed it out to look at the cover, she was greeted with the baby faced grin of the Minister for Magic.

She stared at his gleaming, winking eyes for a long, long time, trying to find proof of a soul underneath. But the longer she stared, the more that sickening feeling in her stomach began to grow. Soon she was shaking with just barely contained fury, clenching the sides of the paper into tight fists until that sick feeling of acrid rage burst forth. She snarled, tearing his face into two pieces and whipping the paper across her suffocating, small office space, sending pages floating all around.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" She screamed apoplectically, kicking over her chair and grabbing a bottle of ink from her desk and throwing it at the closed door with a satisfying explosion of dark ink. She next sent a, perhaps ill aimed, kick at her desk and fell to the ground with another furious string of curses and painful tears as she gently cradled her now injured foot.

Her only possible relief was realizing that at least her day could not possibly get any worse, right?

Then again, it was only 9 o'clock in the morning, she had a long way to go until it was over.

**TBC**

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><p><span>Author's note:<span> Well there's chapter one, talk about a rough day. Things won't get any worse, right? Wrong. Sorry there's no Remus, it made me sad too, but he's going to be there next chapter, don't you worry. Hope you like where it's going so far, I have never written a Harry Potter story that wasn't set in Hogwarts so this is going to be fun :) There was a lot of stuff to set up in this chapter so I hope it had a good flow and wasn't too choppy. Please leave me a review and tell me what you all think!

Sinking deeper into a spiral of unfortunate circumstances, Ginny starts wondering if she has anyone left to trust while Remus has been struggling with this problem all his life. The final battle is coming, and these two will need each other before it hits.


	2. The Order

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the wonderful world of Harry Potter. If I owned Remus Lupin or Draco Malfoy, I probably wouldn't be up late writing fanfiction in my bed… I would have better things to do in here ;)

Author's note: Before you start reading, I think you might want to look up "British Shorthair" on Google Images, because that's what one of the characters introduced in this chapter will look like. You'll understand why it's so funny when you see it. Heh heh heh. Please continue.

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><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

It had been a long, wearisome, exhausting, murder-inspiring day for Ginevra Weasley and it was not even one in the afternoon. She was walking up a flight of stairs to the third floor of her apartment building, carrying a cardboard box of the bits and ends from her office that she wasn't going to see in who knows _how_ long. She fumbled with it as she tried to reach around and get her wand from her back pocket (where Alastor Moody always scolded her for) so she could unlock her door. As she adjusted her arms a little too far, the box of crap got loose and fell, sending all her belongings down two flights of stairs.

She slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand, which did nothing to sooth the ache that had been growing underneath for the past four hours. With a vehement curse at life, she peered around to make sure none of her muggle neighbours were coming up or down the stairs before she summoned her things back into their makeshift container. She grabbed the last of the magically summoned items out of the air just in the nick of time because a door opened on the next landing and the old crone who lived underneath Ginny scowled down at her through glasses that must have made Trelawney's look amateur.

"Wellesley, is it too difficult to respect the peace and quiet of other persons' homes? You know that Dumpkin always has his afternoon nap at this time and I would appreciate it if you stopped clanging around out here like some sort of wild animal!" and then she slammed her door shut.

"It's _Weasley_,you old cow!" Ginny exclaimed loudly to the empty stairwell, hoping dearly that she'd woken up Miss Rota's obese dog named Dumpkin and put him in as foul a mood as his owner. She got mild feelings of glee imagining Dumpkin biting one of Miss Rota's chubby fingers (as had happened to _her _the first day she moved in and tried to pet the nasty little thing).

When Ginny finally got inside the safety of her own flat, she was ready to collapse. By the time nine thirty had come around, most of her coworkers were in the office. Many of them came in to say goodbye to her and give her words of encouragement for the next few months while some like Melissa Nicholl and Jones Oliver, a boy she'd graduated with, came to exclaim their rage at the injustice that was Ginny's dismissal. As much as it was nice to have people on her side about the whole thing, none of it made a difference (they would be here while she was not) and she just wanted to be alone.

Expectedly, Kingsley came by and asked her into his office where he explained to her how much he'd fought for her, but Fudge was on a warpath to get back at them over his power struggle with Dumbledore, and because of the slightest issue of protocol, Ginny became the first casualty.

"He knows he can't do anything now without a logical reason because he's too scared of Dumbledore's reaction, but even the slightest infarction is going to cost all of us big time. I'm sorry you had to be the one to suffer for this, Weasley. It's going to be a miserable three months with your energy gone from this office."

"Thank you, sir. I just... would it be possible if you didn't tell my father yet? I want to let him and mum know from me first," Ginny requested in a hurry. _Or never_, she thought optimistically, already imagining the new fuel that this situation gave to her mother's argument that she should be moving back in with them.

"Of course, of course," he reassured while walking her back to her own office. "I will see you tonight if I can make it to the meeting," he added in a quieter voice. Although the Order was essentially the leading force in holding back the tide of Voldemort's minions, Fudge has made it a point to separate himself and "his" Ministry from them, fearing that if they joined forces, Dumbledore's leadership over the Order would rally support for a power-coo to take over the Ministry. Typical Fudge.

"Yeah, unless I manage to drown myself in ice cream and chocolate before then."

Kingsley let out a deep, chest rumbling chuckle and Ginny couldn't help but crack a smile even though she really wasn't joking. He gave her a solid pat on the shoulder and turned back the way they'd come.

Ginny spent the rest of the morning with her door closed, packing up her stuff and doing several removal charms on the _ir_removable ink that she should have remembered was irremovable before she whipped it. By the time she left, all she managed to do was change it from navy blue to just regular blue. _Well take that, Ministry of Magic, your door is fucked now! _she thought immaturely but with great satisfaction as she walked out. And then she went right home... after she stopped to get a tub of ice cream... and some chocolate chips.

"Hi, babe," she called down to the floor as her gorgeously plump British Shorthair cat came bounding from her bedroom to the door. He rubbed around her legs for an affectionate moment then ran away the second she tried to reach down and scratch him. _Just like a man... _she thought with a smirk.

First things first, she hurried to her freezer and put the new ice cream container beside the old one which was nearly finished. This was going to be a long afternoon. She set the box down in her black-hole corner of clutter and told herself that she was going to organize it later even though she really knew she wasn't going to look at any of it until she brought it back to her office in three months time. She went to her room, put on some track pants, got a spoon and the nearly empty tub from her freezer and plunked right down on her sofa in front of her muggle TV.

Her dad got it for her the Christmas she moved in and invited Hermione over while they set it up so that she could explain it to the two of them. She put on her new favourite show called Friends, but had to pause it after a while so that she could open the new tub. Things were getting serious. Three episodes later, Phoebe gave birth to her brother's triplets and Ginny passed out on the couch with a spoon of melted ice cream on her chest while Napoleon, her cat, helped himself to the soupy remains in the forsaken tub.

She was startled awake out of her ice cream induced coma by absolutely nothing but her twenty pound cat on her face three hours later. Her stomach hurt and her hands and face were sticky because she might have missed her mouth a couple times in the midst of her depressive gluttony. Plus, her shirt was gross and her leftovers had cat goobers in them now. It was four o'clock and the fact that she was now out of half her wages, which were not that great to begin with, was really hitting her.

She wanted to cry and potentially throw up (probably from the excess frozen dairy), but all she did was trap Napoleon in her arms and squeeze the hell out of him before he got fed up and clawed his way out. She accidentally got chocolate in his fur, but realized it would be a nice treat for him to find later during bath time... or she was just too lazy to catch and clean him. Speaking of which, she decided that that's exactly what she needed, a nice hot you-got-suspended-from-your-job bath.

The water felt marvellous on her stressed out body and she sank beneath the bubbles congratulating herself once again on the purchase she'd made on this flat.

She had been shown around to a lot of places, many were larger, closer to work, or not above Mrs. Rota's flat, but when she saw the big bathtub she knew this was where she wanted to be. It had a tiny kitchen, but she wasn't a cook like her mother, much to her absolute let down after waiting through six children to finally get a girl who ended up just as hopeless as the rest of them.

It had a tiny bedroom, but how much room do you need to sleep? Admittedly she would probably have had more room in there if she hadn't insisted on a king sized bed that took up all the space, but sacrifices must be made.

Her closet wasn't much to speak of either but that's why she improvised and used the rest of her apartment for her clothes.

The sitting room, which was attached to the kitchen, was fair sized: it comfortably fit a couch, a love seat, a coffee table and the dark hole of forgotten things in the far corner beside a bookshelf which held maybe two books because the rest were splayed out around the place. Sometimes though, the black hole began to eat its way onto the bookshelf, but that was usually when Ginny said enough was enough and she shoved the spreading clutter back off into the hole where it belonged.

The TV was across from the couch against the wall, safely out of the way from also being eaten.

None of that mattered though, because the place had a big tub and Ginny loved it more than the adopted child she didn't have.

She tried hard to tell herself to not sink into despair and soapy water, but right now things were looking very grim. She didn't even have her best friend to talk to because Luna was _finally_ on her honeymoon in Tibet with, will you believe it, Neville.

It was a great surprise the day the wedding invitations came because Ron and Harry had not expected Neville to be the first boy in their year to get married. The two had gotten engaged and married over a year ago, but with Luna taking over for her father as editor of the Quibbler and Neville becoming a paid herbologist by St. Mungos to look into remedial medicines, things had been crazy for the two of them and they'd only just managed to get their lives calmed down enough to take both of their dream trip.

Ginny had been so happy for the two of them who began dating right as the Battle of Hogwarts was about to start. Neville had declared his love for Luna in front of the whole school and everyone else that was there and they shared a first kiss. It was such a beautiful moment in the middle of such terror and they been pulling through, stronger than ever since that day. Ginny had been her maid of honour in the small ceremony and though she still denies it, she bawled like a baby when Luna and Neville shared their first kiss as husband and wife.

They would be back in two weeks though, so Ginny was going to be a good girl and leave them to their deserved romantic magical getaway without sending a gloomy owl to ruin it for the two of them, though she kind of wanted to.

Then there was Hermione who was a completely different case of bizarre, equally all encompassing situations. What she was doing for a living, no one really knew. She spent a lot of time researching (big surprise) and keeping in contact with some of the most well known theologians in the wizarding world. She didn't talk about her work or her correspondents, but she was getting paid for something and since it was Hermione, no one asked too many questions. Whatever it was, everyone understood that it was probably way over their heads.

Her and Ron had been seeing each other on and off since their seventh year. Ron had gotten a job in the Ministry, originally wanting to be a field-agent as Ginny did, but his talents kept taking him deeper and deeper into the world of strategy and surveillance. He moved up the ladder quickly due to his uncanny talent and ability to decipher critical pieces of information from the raw data that was brought in by his reconnaissance scouts.

Ginny's team had been working closely with his division for the months before they'd gone it, but she hadn't been working with his team. Him and Hermione moved in with each other two years ago, much to Harry's dismay and personal trauma. He now has learned to owl or knock if he wants to come over because his friends may or may not be doing naughty things without their clothes but with maple syrup on their kitchen table.

No more spontaneous floo visits from Harry.

It wasn't just him who was dismayed though. Molly Weasley was of the opinion that two individuals in a mature relationship had no business moving in together if wedding bells weren't ringing in the future. She maintained this view throughout their two years rooming together. But Molly had many views of marriage that did not coincide with the wills of her children.

Then there was Harry whose relationship with Ginny had once been a very close and fulfilling one. They had been together at the end of her sixth year, but Harry had disappeared for a year, staying only in contact with Ron and Hermione throughout. Ginny spent a whole year of her life heartbroken and in constant desperation for him to come back and be with her again.

If it hadn't been for Luna, she's sure she would have willingly descended into a spiral of psycho craziness.

Luna built her back up and got her to realize that she had turned into one of those boy-dependant girls that Ginny and her used to promise each other that they would never become. The first time she saw him again was at the end of the most trying, emotional, gut wrenching the nights of her life. After a year of being left behind, and finally seeing the passionate confession of love between two of her greatest friends and surviving through the destruction and chaos that had been the battle, she was changed.

When Harry came to her at the end of it, she wasn't the same girl who he'd fallen in love with though even years later he never seemed to realize this. There had been an incident between them that night that she tried desperately to wipe from her mind, but it tore open a great chasm between them and things would never be the same, no matter how much Harry would still like it to be.

Even Luna doesn't know what happened that night, because the only person Ginny ever told was her mother, which in hindsight was probably the biggest mistake she's ever made... but she was certain Harry hadn't spoken of it to anyone either. Things were best left in the past.

Ginny's only other good school friend had been Colin Creevey, but she lost him during the battle and so every year she would visit his grave and sit with a candle by his tombstone with Luna, Neville and his little brother Dennis. Usually those nights ended with them finishing off a number of bottles of Firewhiskey together and getting lost in their reminiscent nostalgia.

Ginny hadn't had many other close relationships with people her age. She spent a lot of time with her brothers and the older members in the Order of the Phoenix as she'd lived there in her fifth, sixth and seventh year summers and holidays. Once she graduated, she actually moved there full time after the battle, even when her parents and Ron moved back to the Burrow.

She had made an impassioned decision to become a Healer after seeing the pain and destruction from Voldemort's army on those she knew and loved. She wanted to be the opposite: helping the weak and vulnerable to grow strong and fit once more to continue the fight. But she had to be trained and with St. Mungos a few blocks away from number twelve Grimmauld, what better place than to stay there? They had the room, she got to see her parents and family every week as they came in and out to do work with the Order. She was now of age to join and be a part of meetings, and it just made a whole lot of sense.

During this little while, she got to spend a lot of time with people like Alastor Moody who became sort of like an unofficial mentor to her and was, along with Kingsley Shacklebolt, the guy who got her into the Auror training program even though she didn't have the N.E.W.T.s she needed.

To her surprise, during this somewhat lonely period in her life when she was finally going out on her own, away from her family, from her school friends (she lost touch with Luna for a year as she'd been living in Haiti), her closest companion became her old professor, Remus Lupin.

He technically lived in the house as well, though he often spent weeks at a time out on Order missions, mostly working with various werewolf packs around the country, working hard to gain support for their cause. With the weird hours he was around and the sporadic shifts Ginny spent at the hospital, they often bumped into each other at ungodly hours of the morning. They both were looking for company because in a way they could sense each other's loneliness. Remus had been suffering with losing Nymphadora Tonks at Hogwarts, they'd been together so briefly but it cruelly ended too soon.

When Ginny moved out after her nineteenth birthday because she started earning the wages of a fully certified Healer, it was him she missed the most.

They corresponded frequently through post, but he left for Scotland not long after, moving all around, but mostly spending time up near Aberdeen for nearly nine months. There had been a growing number of rumours that a massive pack of werewolves were coming together and Dumbledore was deeply concerned that they'd been uniting because of Voldemort's influence, so he wanted one of his own to check it out. In the end it turned out that many of them simply couldn't handle the isolation that society forced them into, so they wanted to be with their own kind.

She knew it had been a hard experience for Remus to go through and she vividly remembered the anger she felt towards Dumbledore for forcing the man to keep going with each mission. Somewhere along the way her and him had lost touch and whenever she stopped to think about it, she grew sad. He'd been the only solid thing in her life for that year when everything was so messed up. He's what got her through it.

As she washed her hair she started feeling a little better. There was an Order meeting tonight. She was going to get to see Fred and George who she always missed no matter what (until of course she saw them again and remembered why it was so wonderful to not live in the same house). Right now they were working like mad men on their explosively popular joke shop in Diagon Alley, Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, even though she knew they did more than just make amusing pranks and gags. They worked like house-elves developing a lot of purely genius gadgets for the Order whether it was protective gear or clever cloaking devices.

Ginny couldn't wait to tell them about the Death Eater's light explosion thing that had been used on her and her team. She was also going to get to see Moody again; she got to see a lot less of him now that she was a full-fledged Auror and wasn't being trained. She didn't want to imagine the way his eyeball was going to swivel madly when she talked to him about her suspension, clearly he would know already, but there was maybe a chance it wouldn't come up.

_Yeah, right, _she thought sourly. Kingsley would probably be there too and unfortunately so would her parents. She was going to have to tell them sooner or later, but maybe she could get out of it tonight. She cringed when she predicted her mother's reaction to her losing a job _and _still being single. She was looking forwards to seeing Remus again though as he hadn't been at the last two meetings because he'd been off on a mission in Wales.

She knew that whatever was going on in her life he wouldn't pass any judgements on her and that was always such a welcome safety net to the stupid things she sometimes got into when they lived together. Ron and Hermione would be there too and it would be nice to catch up on their lives, though they did correspond quite often and she saw a lot of Ron when their offices were working together like they had been recently.

She drained the bath since there were no more bubbles left. She was too stuffed with no-longer-frozen-dairy to even think about dinner and she decided that as Napoleon was passed out in her open underwear drawer, he probably was too. She gave his belly a scratch before dislodging a pair of panties from under his butt. He didn't even bother opening his eyes so she just rolled her own and scratched between his shoulder blades causing him to stretch his toes in enjoyment. "You big suck," she murmured as he rolled onto his back like a dog, smiling at her with his a toothy grin.

She had a couple hours to kill before the meeting started and as she had no life anymore, she re-watched the episodes of Friends she'd missed while doing a bit of yoga. She had to move her coffee table out of the way to fit her mat in front of the TV, but even still, it was kind of cramped. Didn't matter to her though. As long as that bathtub was still big, she was still happy.

She changed into a comfortable pair of jeans and put on a nice shirt with some makeup and jewellery because she knew it would make her mother happy, then she grabbed her wand, her purse (because you can't go anywhere without a purse) and a jacket because it was the middle of January and pretty freaking nippy in London. Though on further consideration, she realized that she probably wasn't going to be outside for more than a moment. She was gone from her apartment with a soft, concise _pop, _landing perfectly on the top step just inside the Fidelius Charm.

She knocked lightly on the front door out of consideration but let herself in out of familiarity with the place. She was a bit early, but there were always early birds to the meetings and more often than not a few people were taking up residence in the place. Someone was sure to be around.

"Ginevra!" a warm voice called out from the kitchen as they had come to inspect the new arrival.

"Remus Lupin! That can't be you," Ginny exclaimed, laughing from sheer relief at being in a decent mood at last. They both crossed their halves of the hallway and met in a tight hug at the middle. Having been thinking about him earlier, it was especially heart warming to get to see him again.

"Look how long your hair has gotten!" Ginny couldn't help pointing out as she used to tease him about it all the time.

"You sound like your mother," he replied in good humoured jest as they made their way down the tight corridor back into the kitchen.

"Please don't tell me that," Ginny groaned as they stopped at the coat hooks where Remus helped her out of her jacket and hung it up on the wall for her. "And to think, I was going to tell you that you're looking great," Ginny lifted her arm to swat him playfully but for some reason she didn't. Back when they were better friends she wouldn't have given it a second though, but somehow she thought, _things are different now_.

"So how have you been? Last I saw you, you were working like a fiend on that London house raid," Remus asked in pure innocence and Ginny had to swallow the painful lump in her throat as she forced a smile.

"I'm doing fairly well. The mission a success, you could say. There were a few snags in the operation, but we all got out okay. What about you? It's been nearly a month since I last saw you, when did you get back from Wales?" She avoided mentioning the affairs of her morning because that would completely deflate the jovial mood, and at the moment she was in need of some joviality.

"Oh, I've only just got in, I came straight here with all my junk. Coffee? I just brewed a pot." He said, already going to the cupboard with the mugs, knowing Ginny could never resist an offer of caffeine.

"Merlin, yes," she sighed, going to the fridge to get out the milk.

"Bad day?" he asked with his back to her as she could hear the sound of her magical brew being poured into a rather satisfyingly large mug.

"It was long," was her only explanation reply but Remus stopped and turned to look at her, sensing that something was wrong. She came around to his side with the milk and he passed her the filled mug, both of them moving in a long forgotten but instilled routine. He considered pursuing their conversation further, but let it drop. He also had fond memories of when the two of them had been close, but he was almost astonished to realize that although it seemed like only yesterday, two years had passed since.

"So where are you staying now that you're back?" Ginny asked for curiosity's sake, passing the milk over to him.

"Albus has actually helped me find a place four or five blocks from here. He's acquaintances with the owner's sister's owl's grandmother's breeder or something," they shared a knowing laugh at the unfailing ability for Dumbledore to have connections with absolutely every witch or wizard in Britain.

They sat down at the table and sipped at their steaming drinks. Ginny, as usual, burnt her tongue from being so impatient.

People began arriving in no time at all, and soon the kitchen was packed with socializing. Ginny was in the middle of catching up with her twin brothers when Dumbledore finally arrived and they quieted down and began the meeting.

It went on for nearly two hours and reports were given by nearly two thirds of the attendants. Remus recounted his successful mission with several smaller packs within Wales who were willing to pledge support to Dumbledore. Kingsley went over Scrimgeour's shortcomings in Germany with the EALO: their government did not want to be making deals or alliances with a Ministry lead by such a corrupted figure. He also added in the little information that had been extracted from the four men that had been taken in last week from the London house.

Ginny added a few points about the even greater obviousness that a leak was not only in the Ministry, but close up in the Auror office with an inside into more than one of their departments. Someone was now giving them information about protection wards that only top Ministry officials in the Department of Security and Magical Reinforcement were sanctioned to perform. Ron made a happy announcement that many vaults in Gringott's were now flagged by the ministry so that gold could only be moved in our out with a Proof of Intent (POI), meaning a big blow to the Death Eater's economic structure across the country.

It went on and on... and after a few concealed yawns from more than one listener, the meeting broke up and people began to go on their ways. Mission envelopes were handed out to those they concerned and the brief occupants of the house began to disband.

Ginny was in the middle of reassuring her mother for maybe the fourth time that night that she would be coming around the Burrow for a late lunch tomorrow afternoon before Dumbledore came over to interrupt.

"Excuse me, Ginevra. Would it be possible to have a word with you after you've said goodbye to your parents?" Both Arthur and Molly looked on with curiosity, but they each gave their daughter a kiss on the cheek and left through the floo. She caught eyes with Kingsley outside the kitchen and realized he'd been paying special attention to her and Dumbledore. She realized that if she were to tell Dumbledore about her suspension from her Auror post, it would not be news to him anymore.

He led the way out of the kitchen to get some privacy from the few remaining lingerers. They turned into the drawing room which never failed to bring back terrible memories of cleaning doxies out of the curtains. She still had scars from their devilishly sharp nails.

Dumbledore took a seat in one of the chairs nearest the unlit fireplace and so Ginny sat opposite him on the musty couch. She had actually been meaning to speak with Dumbledore before the end of the day. Now that she was free from her responsibilities at work for a while, she wanted to offer her services to the Order. She was willing to do anything for the cause, anything that could make her useful to them once more. _Maybe that's why he's asked to speak with me, maybe he's found something I could do to help, _she thought excitedly, thinking that her next three months might not be so miserable after all.

Dumbledore sighed with what once may have been an uncharacteristic weariness, but after the wave of war broke on the rock that was his school and home, he'd begun to grow old. "Kingsley has told me of your suspension at work," he stopped, waiting for a possible reaction from her. She had nothing to say so she nodded for him to continue.

Ginny had rarely ever spent much time alone with Albus Dumbledore and being with him now made her sort of nervous. She could only think of the time at the start of her second year when he'd invited her to his office for tea to talk about how she was handling everything from her first year. Back then he had reminded her in a weird way of a kindly great grandfather she'd never had the chance to meet, but it had been a long time since she was twelve.

"There has been no word yet on Mister Donahue's whereabouts, is that correct?" He asked out of courtesy, knowing the answer already. Ginny clenched her fists subtly at her sides. This was the second time in one day that his name had been brought up and she was not exactly pleased about the fact. Dumbledore looked on her uncomfortable expression with great empathy.

"You have been through a great deal these last four years, Ginevra. Perhaps more than you are given credit for," he admitted with deep sincerity and Ginny started to frown. In her mind, this wasn't how the conversation asking her to be a part of the Order's mission team should begin. "You fought in the war at the end of your seventh year, suffering the losses as many of us were. You graduated just months after, a feat many of your Year did not accomplish." Ginny was at a complete loss for what to say. She had no idea where he was going with all of this but didn't feel pertinent enough to interrupt.

Dumbledore continued, uninhibited. "You began training as a Healer within weeks of leaving the school and you stayed on the front lines to bring harmony back to the most horrendous examples of human barbarism and didn't give in. You only resigned your position after being accepted into the Auror program because you wanted to do even more in this battle."

Everything that he said was perfectly true and Ginny had to retrain the blush that threatened to break out on her face. It seemed like a much more admirable path when he recounted it, contrary to Ginny's own beliefs of her life's situations and choices. "Ginevra, in the past four years you have not spared even a week's time for yourself."

There were those three words again: _time for yourself. _She last heard them in Rufus Scrimgeour's office as he became the messenger for her sentence. With a sick realization, she felt her blood rush out of her face. Dumbledore was _not _going to ask for her assistance in any capacity.

She clenched her fists together once more, fingers digging into her palms. She thought off topic for a moment about how long her fingernails had gotten.

Dumbledore noted her change in expression and understood that his concealed intention had been discovered. "Ginevra, everything you have been through, even just in these last four months... Mister Donahue's disappearance and your very recent brush with nearly losing another of your friends, as well as your own life would be a great personal blow to many other individuals. Things like that need time to sink in and they can only do so when there is any."

"But sir―" Ginny exclaimed in a parched voice, speaking for the first time since they'd sat down. Dumbledore raised his hand, interrupting her determined protest.

"Ginevra, what is it we fight for if we only live to fight?" he asked philosophically, peering straight into the depths of her churning soul through his half-moon spectacles. Once again, she was silenced by her own inability to put into words the emotions which caused the churning. "I have been watching you grow now for over ten years, Ginevra and in my mind, the distractions of school, your job and the Order is something you've been forcing upon yourself nearly your whole life," Ginny wanted nothing more than for the words to stop spilling out of his mouth, but she was at a loss, "These three months are what you need to―

"No," Ginny exclaimed suddenly, jumping out of her seat and onto her feet. Dumbledore looked at her with mild surprise, but remained where he was in silence.

"No, I know what it is you're trying to tell me and it's _absolute nonsense_!" she explained furiously. "I am a good Auror, and if you would only let me, I could be a genuine asset to the Order. The reason my life is so dedicated to my work against the enemy is because our country is at _war_, and I am more than willing to make the sacrifices necessary to fight it! What right is it of yours, or Scrimgeour's or even my parent's to tell me that the way I am dealing with this perpetual chaos is inappropriate? I struggle every day of my life trying to put some sense back into this dark time of our world because it's _the right thing to do," _she finished with an accusatory hiss.

She could feel something inside her finally breaking as once more her selflessness was held against her as a fault.

Dumbledore rose to his feet as well and Ginny's eyes narrowed to slits as she caught his pitying gaze. First Scrimgeour, then Kingsley, then her coworkers and now this. It made her blood boil to think that in a few days time, that same look would be etched into the faces of every person she'd ever known.

"I'm sorry, Ginevra," he replied softly but with finality. His stance was unmoved and Ginny knew that nothing she could say would change a thing.

Without another word she turned her back to him and left.

She emerged from the drawing room in a blind determination to get as far away from the remaining lingerers as she could. She felt a burning betrayal, much more personal than her first dismissal and an inescapable despair as she wondered who else in her life was going to let her know that she wasn't needed.

She unconsciously pushed past Remus as he emerged from the kitchen to say goodbye, her mind having turned in on itself. When he opened his mouth to speak she was already opening the front door and apparating away, jacket in hand. There was a dark look in her eyes that he hadn't seen in a number of years and along with it came a nasty feeling of premonition.

Over their year together in number twelve Grimmauld, Remus had seen a lot of the person that Ginny kept hidden from the rest of the world. The part of her that was filled with a suffocating self-loathing and insatiable recklessness. The part of her that made it impossible to shake the feeling that something dreadful was going to happen with her in such a state.

Even after he put the kitchen in order and finally transported his things to the stranger that was his flat to begin the hated unpacking process, he couldn't get the sight of her miserable expression out of his head. Knowing from very personal experience the kinds of trouble she got into when she was feeling especially rash and hateful, Remus gave in to his hunch and apparated out of his lonesome apartment. It had been a long time since Ginny had needed to be saved from herself by Remus, but god help him if he had been right in his concern and done nothing.

Still, if his predictions were correct, he knew exactly where he would find her.

**TBC**

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><p><span>Author's note:<span> Sorry this took so long, this was a crazy, _crazy,_ _**crazy **_week and this one part was giving me SUCH a writer's block, I don't even know why. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it! I'd like to thank Anonymous, **pineapplesea**, **TemperedRose**, **brianaangel**, Tee wolphs Geenger and Lilu'u Malfoy for their reviews; keep it up guys! You're what keep me going :) Oh and btw, Ginny's cat is essentially my cat. His name is Napoleon, he's a big round British Shorthair, and he's such a jerkface, which is why I love him.

P.s. what are all your thoughts on David Thewlis as Remus in the movies? I personally love David and really like his character in the movies, but he just wasn't _Remus _for me :( I always imagined him as quite thin, with a kind of longer, pointier nose, kind of sandy-blond shaggy hair and hazel eyes. It's probably because for me, Remus was always one of the characters I had VERY clearly in my mind... but that's might be because even as a child I had a serious crush on him. Shameless Lupin fan girl, that's me.


	3. The Caterpillar and Lunch

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the wonderful world of Harry Potter. If I owned Remus Lupin or Draco Malfoy, I probably wouldn't be up late writing fanfiction in my bed… I would have better things to do in here ;)

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><p><strong>Chapter Three<strong>

The first thing Ginny became aware of when she regained consciousness that morning was that her skull _must _have been split into many shattering pieces because nothing else could explain the pain she was in. Unfortunately, this was not the case. She knew very well why her mouth was so sickeningly dry and her brain so throbbing as she'd experienced these symptoms many times over. But it had been a considerable length of time since she'd felt _this _terrible.

Delaying the opening of her eyes, dreading that moment when light would cruelly blind her sense with painful retribution, Ginny pulled the blankets over her head, momentarily shutting out the present so she could piece together the recent past of last night.

"Think, Ginny," she mumbled to herself, attempting to will her memories back into existence. Dumbledore crept into her recollection, but she violently pushed him back out for the time being. That was one memory better left out for the time being.

She knew she'd left Grimmauld Place near ten, apparating impulsively to the Leaky Cauldron as she hadn't done in months. From there she knew she'd walked through the quiet cobbled street of Diagon Alley to a perhaps less frequented part of that London wizarding community: Gaundol Alley. Not quite as menacing as Knockturn Alley, but certainly as alluring to those of darker persuasions. Gaundol was for all intents and purposes the dingiest alley of pubs in all of London, perhaps all of Britain. Very few respectable witches or wizards would ever be seen anywhere along that strip which had always appealed greatly to Ginny's often perturbed state of mind.

She often wondered what the point of being respectable was if it meant that you could not even have a drink where and when you wanted.

She hadn't been back down there in months and months since she'd become an Auror. There were simply too many nefarious characters that hung about; Ginny wouldn't be able to justify turning a blind eye anymore, especially if her co-workers discovered her dirty drinking hideout. _It's not like I have to explain myself to anyone now, _Ginny clearly remembered thinking to herself flippantly as she headed down the dimly street, looking for one place in particular.

The very particular building she was looking for was small and unremarkably shabby, tucked away neatly at the end of the way, unobtrusive. If you weren't looking for it, you very likely would never know it was there. For a venue whose atmosphere kept up a "don't ask questions" setting, this suited the clientele rather perfectly.

Ginny pushed open the door, naturally lifting it by the handle so it would not jam on the uneven wooden floors inside. She braced herself for the familiar billow of smoke which earned the bar its name, that would greet her senses.

Ginny breathed in at present tense under the blankets, smelling it on her still, vividly remembering the immediate relaxation that had come over her as she stepped into the dim warm bar, closing the cold out behind her. She very rarely smoked, but loved the smell of it when others did. Something about it made her feel sleepy and calm, something she'd been desperately needing.

The inside was terribly dark and gloomy; whatever light was provided by the few scattered candles was shrouded in the smoky haze from the other occupants. Ginny spotted a pair of goblins smoking what looked like long thin cigars but which emitted a dark brown, nearly purple fume, clearly relaxing after a long shift at the bank.

Across the way, a lumpy, misshapen man hidden beneath a black cloak in spite of the small building's heat was drinking straight from a dark unlabelled bottle with a gloved hand and smoking from what looked to be a carved wooden pipe. Ginny could spot the dark shapes of other figures through the haze but her eyes never lingered. A rookie move like that might get you hexed from a dark corner before you even had time to raise your wand.

She manoeuvred past the few empty tables in the center floor to get straight to the bar; Ginny meant business tonight. She brushed past a grizzly looking man with unusually fine robes on the furthest barstool. His name was Vern but that's all she knew. He'd been a regular in the bar since before Ginny had ever discovered the place and would probably be there long after she left.

She was happy to see a familiar face, especially one that she did not have to converse with and would not be judged for doing back to back shots of Fire whiskey in a few moments. He gave her a generous nod of acknowledgement as she slid onto a stool a few away from him, returning to his own cigarette with ever changing colours of smoke.

"A bottle of Fire whiskey," Ginny announced to the barman as he came over. It was not a demand without manners; the Smoking Caterpillar was an establishment of few words and brief dialogue. The barman turned away with little indication that he'd heard, but Ginny waited patiently for a moment before he returned with an uncorked bottle and a clean glass, setting it down lightly in front of her without hint of a questioning gaze.

She slid him the four galleons and two sickles and he swept them up with practiced ease, shuffling to the other end of the bar to wipe down the taps. Ginny poured herself the first drink of the evening.

It had been quite a while since Ginny had last gone drinking by herself. Thinking back on it, she only ever really was a real drinking once she moved into Grimmauld place. She was mostly lonely then and the depression the war caused fell heavily upon her while she worked as a medi-witch. She had a plethora of painful memories of particularly ill mornings after some of her severe misery induced binges.

When she moved out and started her training as an Auror, she simply couldn't afford to show up to physical and magical training with a protesting migraine and clenching stomach. But in a bizarre way she missed the bar and was glad to be back, though perhaps wishing she had a more optimistic reason other than to drink her sorrows into puddles of nonsense. _Then again, isn't that why I was usually in here? _

The barman's name was Maslow, which Ginny couldn't fail to remember. There was nothing remarkable about his overall appearance save the ghastly disfiguration of his left eye: it was missing. Violent scars surrounded the hollow socket, tearing through his eyebrow and cheek suggesting quite the vicious removal. Many accounts circulated in the dark, out of hearing, but it was impossible for one to know for sure what had happened. One thing that was agreed on was that you never ask Maslow how it came about because you might end up worse off than him. Even still, Ginny was quite fond of the man. He gave her liquor.

Reminiscing on the less muddled beginnings of her previous evening, Ginny stretched under the blankets, trying futilely to imagine herself not stinking like stale sweat and spilt drinks. That never boded well, she admitted from experience. Groaning into her pillow at the thought of having to wash all her sheets, she sank into new found misery.

Laundry was definitely _the _worst.

She had never appreciated all the work her mother did in cleaning up after seven children until she moved out on her own. She paused in the middle of her despairing pity wallow as she smelt her pillow again, trying to pin down what exactly it was that struck her as noticeable.

It smelt… odd.

Not particularly bad, actually very clean (which she congratulated herself for), but still not like her own. She ripped the deliciously warm blankets off her head and looked around the miraculously dim room. It was disturbingly unfamiliar. _This is not my bed, _she discovered, alarmed and perplexed. Her lively yellow and orange walls and mess of a living space had been replaced with an almost unnaturally neat, empty beige room. Ginny looked down at the brown sheets, then to the arranged piles of clothes on top of the wooden dresser. They were clearly men's.

"Oh, Merlin," Ginny cried, hiding once more under the blankets in deep, _deep _embarrassment. She was so absolutely ashamed of herself for having done what she thought she'd done. Extra so as she couldn't recollect having done _anything. _"Ginny… ugh," she groaned disparagingly, wanting to smack herself hard in the forehead. It was only the throbbing agony bubbling beneath the surface that held her hand.

She couldn't even imagine how she ended up going home with someone, especially not anyone from the Smoking Caterpillar, the bar one goes to specifically _not _to form any social connection to any other soul present. And she definitely couldn't imagine anyone there who she'd even consider talking to, let alone spending the night with. She got a sudden image of the man in the lumpy cloak doing a strip-tease for her and she nearly snorted in disturbed amusement, sobering herself quickly as her situation was not advancing any.

The more she thought about it, the more uncertain she became. She very vaguely did remember someone, a young man… but no, it couldn't have been him.

In a lifting of her memory's fog, Ginny regained a moment of clarity from last night. A group of very young adults came into the bar, chatting loudly, immediately disturbing the sombre atmosphere. She'd been four or five drinks in when the utterly unwanted quintet bustled through the smoky bar, claiming the two tables in the center.

A group of five was entirely unusual for the bar; the Caterpillar was unsubtly a place for solitude, which it had in abundance. One of the women they were with lit an extra two candles at the tables with her wand, shedding an unusual brightness onto the other patrons. Eyes from every corner of the pub narrowed in on the unwelcomed guests.

Ginny had despised them instantly for being cheerful and with friends when hers were off on a romantic getaway across the planet.

Two of the men from the group approached the bar to get drinks for the rest of them. They happened to stand beside where Ginny was sitting and she tried to turn away and ignore them both.

The man, or rather, teenager who ordered the drinks listed out his friends requests to Maslow while the other stood slightly unsteadily at his side. Apparently their revelry had started elsewhere that night. Try as she might, Ginny found the holes he was staring into the side of her head impossible to ignore. She pounded back another drink, setting it down perhaps harder than she'd intended to, whipping around to glare at him. "Did you want something?" She felt extremely snappy, and the alcohol was making her temper expand unpredictably. Maslow and Vern kept a subtly eye on the situation, ready to intervene at any moment to keep the peace. Maslow was especially loyal to his repeat patrons.

"Jus' wonderin' what a pretty thing like you is doin' in a joint like this," he replied with a hint of a slur which could have been overlooked had his posture not been so unbalanced. Ginny clenched the glass tightly in her hands as she rolled her eyes and turned back away. There is nothing more aggravating than being drunkenly hit on when it's the last thing you're interested in.

She downed another quick drink, feeling a flush grace her face as the alcohol warmed its way down her throat. An unexpected hand touched her shoulder and she spun back around.

"C'mon, can't I at least get th' name of the only good lookin' girl here?" he beamed a sloppy grin but blanched as he caught the fire in Ginny's stare, removing his hand quickly. Satisfied with the effect her gaze had, she made to turn back around before he interrupted her.

"Hey, yer one of them Weasleys aren't you?" an even heavier silence permeated the bar. The drunk boy's friend turned away from the bar to look at her as well. Ginny nearly broke the glass in her hands. Anonymity was all she wanted at that precise instant… the fact that she was not particularly enthused about being Ginny Weasley at the moment was a big part to play, but even bigger was that she did not want to be ousted as a known Auror which would have disturbed the atmosphere even greater than the spirited new arrivals.

"Weasley? How's it going? I believe I went to school with your older brother, Carl? Charles? No, it was Charlie, wasn't it?" he added to the conversation and both looked at her expectantly.

"You've got me confused with someone else," she replied, working hard not to trip over her own words. "Now, please leave me alone," she concluded with what she hoped was a finality.

The partner shrugged and grabbed the first three drinks, taking them to their table, leaving his friend to grab the last two.

He would not let the discussion drop. "You're definitely a Weasley," he continued, uninhibited by the look of death Ginny sent towards him. "I remember seeing you in the Daily Prophet, ain't you dating Harry Potter? I thought you worked in the Ministry."

"You've got the lady confused with someone else, son," a raspy voice from her other side interrupted firmly. Ginny turned to see Vern addressing the drunken boy as he put out his cigarette in the full ashtray in front of him, pulling another out to light.

The boy finally ceded and grabbed the drinks, returning to the table. Ginny gave Vern a nod of appreciation and everyone went back to their own business… for a while.

Ginny tried to remember more, but her drinking had increased at a steady rate by this point though she distinctly remembered looking at her bottle in perplexity, wondering where the first three quarters had gotten to. She did not appreciate being recognized there of all places, especially not in relation to her… _relations_ with Harry. The Prophet had been spewing all sorts of trash pertaining to their being together which had long been over by then. For months she'd had to hear about her and Harry's alleged nuptial plans, which put an awkward extra strain on their then shaky friendship.

Unexpectedly in the mystery room, Ginny's whole body was put on edge as she heard the shower start through the wall. She sat up in a flash, realizing how terribly she'd underappreciated the fact that she'd been alone when she woke. Suddenly conscious of the fact that she was not wearing her jeans, Ginny slid her bare legs out from under the covers and slung them over the side of the bed.

She didn't have to look far for her clothes as they lay in a heap by the side of the bed. Feeling not entirely hygienic, she slipped into last night's outfit and ran a few fingers through her knotted hair, attempting to regain a semblance of class as she fought back sudden cramps of nausea.

She worried about her purse and for a moment her stomach hit the floor as she couldn't find or even possibly remember where she'd last put her wand. A glint of silver on the bedside table caught her attention and there her purse was, wand sticking out of the top. She nearly cried as she rushed over to it, checking the contents to make sure everything was accounted for.

She was a little perturbed by the handkerchief that was not her own, spotted with dried blood and mascara, which probably were her own. She had a strange disconnected recollection of trying to punch someone who looked oddly enough like Remus and she looked down at her right knuckle which showed definite signs of connecting with _something. _

She hoped whatever she hit deserved it, but that was about all she could do. Sometimes she got herself into the most awkward situations when she was drunk and angry. She also had a sneaking suspicion that there might have been some not so graceful crying.

_Speaking of awkward situations… _she thought, putting her mind onto the task at hand. The last thing she wanted to do was talk to a stranger in his house whom she had absolutely no recollection of and came home with while abhorring the idea of ever meeting again. Also who she may have punched and cried in front of? That left her about two options: die, or hightail it out of there before he got out of the shower.

Choosing life, Ginny opened the door softly into the hallway with hardwood floors, glancing next door to see a closed door with steam drifting out from underneath. There was no art or pictures of any kind on the walls, nothing to give Ginny the slightest insight into her mystery lad's personality.

She crept down the hallway towards a door which led into a sitting room and which looked unmistakably like an exit to freedom. She couldn't even believe her absolute luck when her coat was slung over the back of a couch and her shoes lay near the door. Clearly someone holy intended her to get out of their as smoothly as possible.

She took back that thought instantaneously as she saw a notepad on the otherwise empty table with a quill lying on top. Her conscience rooted her in place and she did smack herself on the forehead painfully as she knew what her morals were going to make her do.

Ginny hated one night stands for this exact reason, her inability to leave wordlessly. She always felt that she owed someone a goodbye, especially if after staying the night in their homes when she probably would have been incapable of making it to her own. So she sat down on the blanketed couch and scrawled a note for whoever to find when they got out of the shower. Her morals didn't dictate that it had to be a _verbal _goodbye…

As she stood and walked back over to the door, giving the decidedly boring room a final look, she caught a peak at the clock that looked freshly mounted on the wall. For some reason the little hand pointing to the eleven and the longer one at the eight made her nerves stand on end. _I feel like I'm forgetting… oh. Holy. Hera. _Ginny blanched as she remembered lunch with her family in twenty minutes. She whipped open the door and accidentally slammed it shut, apparating frantically from the hall to her own flat.

On the other side of the apartment, the shower turned off and all was silent. The only remaining occupant in the flat paused, listening for his guest's presence as he was certain his front door had just closed. Curious, but unconcerned, he turned the shower back on and finished washing his hair before drying off, dressing and leaving the washroom. He walked past his own room, glancing inside to find the blankets pulled aside and the previously sleeping woman gone.

He double checked if she'd grabbed her purse and clothes before following her path down the hall and into the expectedly empty sitting room. He sat down on the same couch she had as he briefly considered when he was going to start decorating the place.

He couldn't help admit that he was disappointed in not finding his guest still present when he got out of the shower. He'd wanted to talk to her before she spirited herself out of his home. Stretching and running his hand through wet hair, he caught the sight of slightly messy penmanship on the previously blank notepad. Leaning forward to expect, he read over Ginny's hurried note:

_Good morning!_

_I hope you slept well; I had a __**great**__ time last night but breakfast with the parents calls._

_Maybe we can do it again sometime._

_-G._

At first he was a bit thrown off as the tone she'd used was not entirely appropriate to the situation and considering the night she'd had, her message didn't actually make too much sense. After considering it deeply for a moment, Remus Lupin threw back his head in laughter, finally comprehending the totality of the situation.

From past late night discussions with Ginny, Remus had learned of that dreadful inability for Ginny to leave without a final word. So connecting this with the unbelievably inebriated state she'd been in by the time he found her, she had absolutely no recollection of events that followed.

"Ginny, Ginny…" he muttered amusedly, imagining how awfully hung over she would be for breakfast with Arthur, Molly and the rest of the clan trying to figure out who she could have possibly went home with. He tore the note off the pad and slipped it in his pocket, saving it to possibly chirp her with in a kind, enlightening owl that he meant to send when he went out later.

Still laughing to himself in amusement, he went back into his room to make the bed.

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><p>"Ginny! You look awful! And you're late!"<p>

"Oh thanks, George, and to think I was looking forward to seeing you today," Ginny snorted as she hugged her welcoming brother upon entering the Burrow. It wasn't exactly a surprise that she looked like crap, she hadn't had enough time to take a bath and wash her hair or even apply enough makeup to make it look like she wasn't a living inferi.

She'd only had enough time to brush out her hair and clean off last night's makeup, dabbing a little concealer under her eyes and rubbing some perfume in her hair so she didn't smell like such an ashtray. She slipped into a white sundress with tights, a red scarf and some comfy boots before getting one of her heavier, less reeking coats and flooing to the Burrow.

"Well I'm nothing if not honest," George replied, grinning cheekily as he separated from his sister.

"Heads up, mum's invited the whole troupe," Fred whispered in her ear meaningfully as they exchanged hugs.

"Plus one," George added and they exchanged snickers. Ginny glared at them, but they refused to elaborate.

Ginny groaned exaggeratedly as her hang over tripled in force at the mere thought of the upcoming meal. The twins exchanged sympathetic glances with her as they all recognized the significance of the statement. Ginny had thought she'd be only seeing her parents, the twins and Ron and Hermione, but the troupe consisted of even bigger family proportions. Percy and his girlfriend Rosaline included.

Ever since she'd been introduced into the family she'd developed a deep seated disapproval of Hermione. Merlin knows why, honestly. She was entirely too traditional and open about Ron and Hermione's relationship and the fact that they lived together unmarried, unlike her and Percy who had gotten engaged four months after seeing each other.

Ginny harboured private assumptions that it was mostly because of blood prejudice. _After all_, Rosaline Caspian came from a long line of equally pretentious purebloods, though Ginny would never risk accusing the woman of such, lest world war three should erupt in the kitchen.

What made matters worse was that when Rosaline got in a particularly snooty mood and brought up the "impropriety" of unwed couples rooming together, Molly would more often than not lean towards her side.

Of course this made things especially awkward between Hermione, a long time friend of the family and Percy, one she always respected while in school who would never admit his own wife of stepping out of line. To make matters even _more_ complicated, while defending Hermione to the vile woman, Ginny managed to make herself even more deeply disliked than Hermione herself.

Percy, seeing his sister and wife in dispute especially irked him as he had always been on the outskirts of the family due to a number of personal and professional choices, so he blamed Ginny for not being accepting of his wife. Then Ron and Percy got in spats all the time, always for things entirely unrelated to their partners, but it was the only way they knew how to vent. Molly, fed up with Ron's avoidance tactics in dodging her marital hints and disappointments would be sternly fed up with the arguing boys, often taking it out on Ron.

Add Fred and George's mischief along with Arthur's cluelessness and you got one lovely Saturday lunch with the family where fights were a promise, and bursting tempers a certainty. Old grudges that refused to be forgotten came up again and again. But the biggest cherry on top was Molly's unfailing tactic of inviting Harry along to the circus, as if to demonstrate to Ginny that there was still time to change her mind.

"Kill me now," Ginny pleaded under her breath as she walked with the twins into the central part of the house, the kitchen. The bustling of many voices greeted her ears as she entered and many voices called out to greet her at once.

"Sorry I'm late everyone, overslept!" she announced, forcing a natural smile as she fought the desire to hide in a dark hole and drink copious glasses of water. She gave her brothers all a hug and a small smile towards Rosaline who simply quirked her nose up at her. Finally she gave Hermione an air kiss and went to hug Harry who was standing off to the side. It was only then that she noticed the extra head in the crowded kitchen as her eyes fell upon a rather pretty girl with cropped blond hair, looking mildly uncomfortable in the chaotic environment that was an overly occupied Burrow.

"Hi!" Ginny greeted too brightly to seem normal and Harry stepped forward to make an introduction. She caught Fred and George observing from afar and understood the "plus one" comment. She made a note to pull the hair underneath each of their arms in payback for the lack of warning they felt she deserved.

"Hey, Ginny. Let me introduce you to Maia," he wrapped an arm around her waist as she extended a hand to greet Ginny. Ginny offered her own and made polite with Harry's apparently new beau before she turned away and caught an unimpressed glance from her mother. She couldn't tell exactly who Molly was most displeased with: Harry for bringing the girl, Maia for being the girl or Ginny for not being the girl. Either way, lunch was just getting more and more appealing and Ginny wondered why she wasn't at home with her head in a toilet like a proper person.

"Full house, huh?" she joked as her mother wasted not a moment to admonish her daughter for being late and shoving a bowl of fruit salad in her hand to carry to the table.

"Finally, we can eat!" Ron declared with unrestrained predictable joy as him and Hermione took their seats, Harry and Maia on his other side. Everyone else followed suit and there wasn't much said as everyone concentrated on feasting.

Ginny had a miserable feeling of being the only singleton left… the twins never counted, as it's difficult to be a singleton when you have an exact copy of yourself to spend all your time with. Plus, Ginny knew they were both seeing someone, and were especially wise enough not to tell Molly and have them invited to Saturday hells.

"So Ginny," her mother began and instinctively Ginny knew it was going to be unpleasant, "what was it that Dumbledore wanted to talk to you about last night?"

_Yup, so unpleasant. _All eating stopped as ten heads turned towards her, mid chew. She felt her face flush bright red under their anticipating gazes and for a moment did honestly consider telling the truth… but only for a little moment as she didn't dare breaking the apparent peace that had settled over the guests.

Ginny could only imagine Rosaline's snide comments on her unmarried relationship status, her mother's insistences that Ginny made the wrong choice moving out and Harry's new girlfriend being a spectator to the public event that apparently was Ginny's life. Plus, she wanted to delay the disappointment that she knew would stain her father's eyes when he got the news. "He just wanted a few extra details about my last assignment," she lied easily, putting a forkful of salad in her mouth, unconcerned.

"Yes, I heard in the office that you'd had a meeting with Scrimgeour yesterday morning," Arthur added, wiping the corner of his mouth with a napkin.

Ginny choked on a rebellious piece of lettuce. "Oh, um it went alright. Just wanted to go over some protocol again with me," Ginny laughed weakly along with the others. Ginny was a bit notorious for not following the rules.

"Well, I―

"Actually, dad," Ron interrupted to Ginny's absolute approval, "Hermione and I have something we wanted to tell you while we're all here together," Ginny could feel her mother's eyes growing into wide, expectant orbs of delight. She also didn't need to be a genius to know that neither of them would mind certain individuals _not _being there at all.

The silence around the table was absolute as everyone felt the gravity of what they were about to announce. He looked over warmly to Hermione who clasped his hand tightly under the table for support. Taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth to make the announcement. "I'm pregnant," she said without hesitation and Ron could barely control the immense beam that spread over his face.

For a few moments there was a continuation of the silence until it broke all at once. Molly jumped to her feet, already in tears as she pushed over Harry to hug the future mother of her grandchild, while Arthur got up to hug his own son, patting him heartily on the back. Harry and Maia looked quite less shocked then the rest of the clan, so Ginny assumed the two of them probably let him know before the announcement.

In the meantime, Ginny got up to hug her not quite sister-in-law, unbelievably happy for the two who were so clearly excited.

Questions were flying through the air, when did they find out, was it a boy or a girl, what would they name it, when was it due… and so on. The only miserable face in the jubilant crowd was Rosaline whose own was white with badly retrained emotions, fists clenched at her sides as Percy had a hand up massaging her back.

Ginny had a brief moment of rage as she considered her brother's position in not congratulating Ron and Hermione's blessing, but she'd long suspected that him and Rosaline had been trying to conceive and with her so up in arms with Ron and Hermione's marital propriety, it would be especially painful for her to accept them having a child out of wedlock when she so wanted one with her husband. But as sympathetic as Ginny may have been to her plight, it didn't make her want to pull Rosaline's hair out any less when she next opened her mouth.

"Are those church bells I hear in the distance then?" she asked in that acidly sweet voice of hers and everyone turned to look at her then back at the celebrating couple. Hermione and Ron turned to look at each other briefly and Ginny saw the slight falter in her smile.

"Well," Ron began unsurely, "we haven't really been making any plans other than for the baby arriving… that's keeping us busy enough," he finished with a sweet smile and Ginny nearly launched herself across the table at the prissy bint so that she could slap the satisfied sneer off her snooty face. Ron and Hermione would make such wonderful loving parents, marriage was entirely their own business.

"What?" Molly cried in a distressed voice, apparently in disagreement with Ginny and all hell broke loose. Two hours later and several pots of coffee, the battlefield was being cleared of bodies and the survivors were making their ways home. Percy and Rosaline had left not long after the big row between Molly and Ron reached its full swing, and the twins, Ginny, Harry and Maia escaped to the living room. Hermione came in a while later looking harried and totally warn out, flopping onto the couch beside Ginny.

"Family lunch," Ginny said somberly.

"Family lunch," Hermione repeated in reply, both shaking their heads in exasperation, but smiling nonetheless.

The argument finally came to a close and Ron entered the room, exhausted and irritable.

"Well folks, I think Hermione and I are heading out," he explained regretfully, obviously unimpressed at the miserable atmosphere their otherwise intended announcement had dropped on everyone.

Simultaneously, they all realized it really was time to go, and they got to their feet saying a final goodbye. Maia headed towards to fireplace to floo home, having nothing really to say to the others and certainly made uncomfortable by the intimate nature of the argument but Harry looked as if he were trying to linger and talk to Ginny.

Aware of his attention, she purposely pretended to be exceptionally interested in Ron's and the twins' parting words of congratulation. She'd been lately suffering from a potential sensory overload and needed some time to get herself together before anyone else dropped any more potential bombs in her life. Finally they parted together and the twins quickly followed.

"Ginny, we didn't get much time to talk," Ron admitted, and Ginny was a little thrown off by how disappointed he sounded. Very unbrother-like. "You free for lunch this week?" Ginny narrowed her eyes suspiciously; she and Ron had never made a lunch date in their entire lives together. She looked to Hermione for an answer, but she just shrugged unhelpfully in response.

"How's Tuesday? We can go to Capistrano's, they have good food, good coffee," Ginny offered, having no other option really but to accept.

"Great, 12: 30?"

"Wonderful. Goodbye, brother," she said laughing at their unexpected plans as she hugged him goodbye, whispering one last congratulation in his ear as they both walked towards the fireplace.

With one final look he exclaimed with a familiarly cheeky grin, "Get some sleep, you look terrible," and as Hermione swatted his arm for being so coarse to his sister, green flames swallowed them up completely, leaving an empty fire pit in their place. Ginny grabbed a pinch of floo powder and headed home to feed Napoleon.

Unfortunately her arrival into her petite apartment was not only met by the sounds of kitty cries, but also the violent scraping on her window of a severely impatient tawny owl.

She opened it up to let the bird in who flapped around her kitchen for a moment before finding a decent perch on the tap of her kitchen sink. He raised a leg for her to take the attached letter and left as quickly, not staying to perhaps get a treat after catching Napoleon's very interested gaze from on top of the table.

She took the paper out of the envelope and recognized Remus' writing.

_Hello Ginevra,_

_I was just wondering if you were free for breakfast this coming Wednesday, say 10 o'clock?_

_I know how much you appreciate Redbrick's free coffee refills._

_Owl me back if you're up for it,_

_Sincerely,_

_Remus._

_P.S. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself._

There were a number of things that Ginny was trying to take in. One, she hadn't been in touch with Remus for months and she'd been definitely pleased to see him last night. She had actually been considering asking him out to coffee yesterday to try and rekindle the good friendship they'd had when she'd been working at St. Mungos. Especially since she was wondering how he'd been doing since they last spoke properly.

Secondly, _ten o'clock in the morning? Why such an ungodly hour? _she mentally cried, already sad to have to get out of bed four mornings from then. Thirdly, _enjoyed myself with what? _She wondered confusedly; she hadn't particularly enjoyed herself at last night's meeting by any stretch of the imagination if that's what he was referencing. She flipped the letter over searching for any clues to perhaps show her what she was missing.

In her hand she was staring at the upside down copy of the note she'd left anonymously that morning. She practically screamed as she gasped, covering her mouth with horror. "REMUS?" she cried in alarm, "DID I SLEEP WITH REMUS?"

Napoleon meowed, unconcerned with the paper his mummy dropped on the floor, sitting on it until she noticed him and his empty bowl.

**TBC**

* * *

><p><span>Author's note:<span> well, there you have it. I'm sorry that this chapter was probably not worth the beyond excessive wait you all have endured. What this update means is that THIS STORY IS NOT DEAD! Yes readers, it is alive, though perhaps not as healthy as I would like. Many, many, many kinks I need to start ironing out as we get into the actual plot. Things aren't going to be moving as unbearably slowly for very much longer. New chapter will be out tomorrow I hope, maybe the day after. BUT SOON! You will have it soon! I double pinkie-promise. Hope you're at least getting more familiar with the characters and have a burning curiosity for whatever horrors I will potentially put them through! Also, I hope you found Remus' reveal as funny as I imagined it would be in real life lmao. Anyways, reviews are so very much appreciated, advice, flames, praise! I accept all! Thanks a lot guys for sticking with me!


	4. The Ring

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the wonderful world of Harry Potter. If I owned Remus Lupin or Draco Malfoy, I probably wouldn't be up late writing fanfiction in my bed… I would have better things to do in here ;)

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><p><strong>Chapter Four<strong>

A figure robed in murky coloured cloth entered his superior's office, illuminated brightly in stark contrast. He moved to accompany the man who had summoned him by the ceiling high windows overlooking a dark stone courtyard.

** "**Fudge passed an order for her to be suspended from the office," he informed softly, hesitant to break the heavy silence.

"Of course he has, after all, he always takes my suggestions… most seriously," a chilling pause filled the room. A star drifted across the sky, blinking its light lazily back down to them. To them, the word satellite was simply a part of the foreign language of a lesser race. "Have you actually anything of use to tell me, Gibbon?"

A stuttering reply in the negative. The other's voice cutting through the renewed quiet.

"Very well, you may―

"Sir?"

"_What?_"

"The Auror that they left with us, d-did you still want―?

"If the children are done with him then so am I. Now, get out of my sight; I am expecting someone."

* * *

><p>"Oh, wow… Ginevra, you look… just stunning," Remus greeted in an attempt at sincerity, though his creeping smile gave him away.<p>

"Shut up," Ginny replied, having stormed straight over to his apartment the minute she finished feeding her needy pet. Still no time to bathe, she'd already had enough reassurance to comprehend _just _how awful she really looked. Yet in no way did it reflect how _truly _awful she was feeling. "You've got some explaining to do," she informed, pointing a finger sharply at his too amused expression.

He raised an eyebrow in feigned puzzlement, as she pulled out the infamous note and thrust it in his face. He forgot how adorable she was when she was livid. Also, how furiously hilarious. "Well I believed we would be able to talk over breakfast on Wednesday!"

"Breakfast! Breakfast? Why in the name of magic would I want to get up for _breakfast? _Do you even realize how much I abhor the world and all of existence before noon? Actually, now that I think about it, you probably do."

"Why don't you come in?" he offered with a charming smile that infuriated her even more. She distinctly remembered how much he enjoyed aggravating her. She walked into the boring beige apartment that she had truly believed she would never step foot in again. She now saw that he'd put a few paintings of abstract landscapes up that she currently refused to admit liking.

It made a little more sense now why the place had been so unnaturally devoid of any sign that someone lived there as that someone had only been there one night. Though, it did not shed any light onto how _she'd _come to spend the one night either.

Ginny walked around to the table and noticed the blankets (which had been in a mess when she'd left) folded at the end of the couch with a pillow on top of them, as if ready to be put away. She paused, irritation at the confused mess that her mind refused to _un_become deflating. "You slept on the couch," she stated, suddenly feeling like the world's biggest fool.

"Well where else was I supposed to stay with you sprawled over an entire king sized bed?" he asked innocently, and Ginny felt a deep shame for having even considered for the slightest of moments that Remus was anything less than a gentleman.

"Oh bugger," she exclaimed, flopping down onto the couch. "I'm sorry Remus, I thought―

He held up a hand to stop her, sitting himself on the other end, "Ginevra, with how _un_believably out of sorts you were last night, your ability for thought this morning should in no way have been put to any sort of test." Ginny couldn't help but agree with the truthfulness of that statement… no matter how dim it made her feel.

Ginny leaned forward and put her still-suffering head in her hands. "I am the world's biggest knob." This was definitely not how she'd planned on renewing her old acquaintance with him. She had a sickening thought. "Do I by any chance actually recollect punching you last night?"

Remus guffawed once more, entirely unable to restrain it. "Ginevra Weasley, there is one brick wall in London that will not be forgetting your fist anytime soon."

_Well, that explains my mangled hand, _she admitted, realizing that it might be for the best if she was not reminded of all the obscene things she most certainly had probably done… most likely.

"I suppose you're not hungry after coming from your mother's kitchen otherwise I would offer you something to eat," Molly's culinary proclivities were known throughout Britain… and France. "Coffee?" Remus asked, standing to head into the kitchen.

"I am so bloated with caffeine right now, it's unbelievable." Ginny confessed, feeling the liquids still sloshing around in her stomach. Whilst keeping out of the way at the Burrow and compensating for her hangover, Ginny may have over done it with the coffee.

She got up and followed him, pulling a chair out from the table and sat down as Remus fiddled around with the pot and grinds.

Remus finished up and turned towards her. He fixed her with an unexpectedly piercing gaze and Ginny had to resist the urge to make a face. "So?" he asked inquiringly.

Ginny blinked in attempted innocence, but failed abysmally. "So, what?" she asked, attempting to delay the inevitable question.

Remus looked entirely unimpressed, "Don't play dim."

Trying to look scandalized, Ginny replied "Does that sound like me?"

"Ginevra."

"Remus."

"Care to explain?"

"I―" Ginny considered giving another less than mature retort, being so loathe to finally talk to someone about Fudge and Dumbledore and how pitiable a thing she must seem, but her voice faltered upon seeing Remus' sincerely concerned expression. She knew from experience that she wasn't going to get out of there without giving him a satisfactory answer. She sighed softly before ploughing straight into it. "I've been suspended from the office and temporarily dismissed from the Order."

Staring blankly at her for a moment, Remus tried to comprehend the mess of a statement Ginny speedily blurted out. The only sound in the kitchen was the coffee brewing in the background. Remus frowned. "Merlin, Ginny. I can't even… For how long?" he was having troubles coming to terms with what she'd just revealed.

Remus had known Ginevra Weasley since he taught her in her second year. He'd repeatedly watched her throw herself into work, whether it was her studies in school after the incident in her first year, her training and realization of becoming a Healer after the war or finally her pursuit to make a difference for all the suffering she saw daily by become a field agent in the Auror division. Ginevra was nothing, if not a perfectionist. Admittedly a bit of a workaholic, but entirely efficient, dedicated and honest; Remus could not see how both the Ministry and the Order made such a mistake in dismissing her.

Ginny filled him in on her meeting with the both of them, leaving out the particular bits of taking her shirt off in the safe-house and all mention of Edward Donahue. In a perhaps pessimistic and biased view, Remus realized that he didn't have any troubles believing in the corruption within the Ministry.

While she spoke, Remus took a very close look at Ginny. He noticed the concealed dark circles under her eyes, and the heavy weight that seemed to rest on her shoulders. He'd often in the past worried about her and had been very pleased to hear that she was doing well at the meeting yesterday, but as more often than not in these time, things were not always what they seemed to be.

"Are you going to be alright for the next few months?" Remus asked, genuinely concerned. An inexperienced Auror's wages were not terribly high and owning a flat in London incurred no small fee; Remus had spent much of his life toeing the line of poverty during the times his condition made it impossible to find work. He would never wish that state of living upon anyone.

Ginny smiled at his question wearily. "Oh, I'll be fine. Things will be tight for awhile, but I'll manage." She swiped a hand over her forehead, pulling back the few flyaway strands of hair. Remus didn't know whether to believe her or not, but it was not the time to press the matter. The girl was clearly exhausted and needed to go home.

Remus told her as much, and she laughed in appreciation. "I don't know when I'll see you next," Ginny started as they made their way to the door, "but send me an owl and we can do lunch someday… preferably a late one," she added and he cracked a grin despite himself. Even at her worst, Ginny could still find humour in a number of situations.

"Fair enough," he replied knowingly, after all, he very much realized how greatly she abhorred the world and all of existence before noon.

She made to turn, but quickly stopped, looking back to Remus. "Thank you for listening…" she hesitated, eyes flickering away in slight embarrassment, "and thank you for letting me stay last night when things got a little messy."

"Ginevra, with the day you had, it's a surprise I didn't have to drag you home in a wheelbarrow," he said with a sympathetic gaze and a teasing tone.

"Yeah, yeah…" Ginny laughed once more, giving him a quick hug in goodbye before apparating home.

Remus was left alone in his flat to contemplate Ginny's miserable situation. He wondered what she was going to do with herself now that for the first time since Ginny had left school, she was temporarily removed from the fighting front of the war.

* * *

><p>It had been a long two days… especially since the second day wasn't yet over. Apparating into her apartment for the third time, she flopped down onto her couch wearily. She hadn't exactly planned to tell Remus everything she had, but his insistence and sincerity won out. It was a lightening of the load on her shoulders to be able to talk to someone who was objective and unbiased, as Remus had always been. There had been a time in her life when Remus was the first person she'd go to if she needed to talk or sort things out; both had shared many of their intimate feelings about their lives, their families and themselves during those long, weighty months at twelve Grimmauld. It seemed only natural to find herself making confessions to him before her friends and family once more. But instead of filling the hallowed void that had been left, she simply felt… nothing. There was no comfort in her empty apartment, no distraction to drown out her introspective thoughts.<p>

At last, it became far too hard to resist the call for rest. In Ginny's darkened room she crawled into bed with her pyjamas, cozying up under the thick turquoise duvet and snuggling into her purple goose-feather pillow. _At last… _her mind moaned as the tension of her body melted off into the mattress. Her soul was so nearly ready to sigh in contentment before it was cacophonously interrupted by a sharp beak rapping against the glass on the outside of her curtained window.

"GARR!" she cried in despair, tearing off the envelop of warmth that her blankets had become. The bird's talons scraped against the glass in a hair-raising _screech_. She turned and launched herself off the bed towards the offending window, pushing Napoleon out of the way as he stood on his hind legs, pressing a round paw against the curtain, purring happily. The window opened letting an awfully awful cold breeze in along with Archimedes, Neville and Luna's familiar.

"Hello, beautiful," Ginny cooed after overcoming her surprise, smothering her bubbling annoyance with the fact that the unexpected messenger bore even less expected news from her very missed friends.

_Ginny,_

_We've soaked up all the exotic fun there is in Tibet._

_Make sure you start shaving your legs again because me and my man will be home Tuesday night. _

_Hope your life isn't falling apart without me,_

_Love, hugs and stuff,_

_Luna Lovesyougood._

Ginny snorted at what a knob the girl was and how after three weeks of not hearing from her, she manages five and a bit lines of drabble. But she smiled, brighter than she had all day. Her more competent, yet less sane, half was coming back a week early. Ginny couldn't help grin at the irony of her situation as she imagined Luna's expression when she learned of just how apart her life had indeed fallen since they'd left for their honeymoon.

She walked out of her room, grabbing Napoleon on the way to stop him from pestering the resting owl. Coming back with treats, she scrawled a quick note telling them that no matter how late it was on Tuesday, they should stop by when they got in. She attached it to the owl's legs, who departed after relaxing for a while on Ginny's dresser. With a huge sigh of exhaustion, Ginny finally got to live out the fantasy she had been replaying in her head since waking that morning by falling asleep.

* * *

><p>"Ginny, over here!" she heard a familiar voice call from across the crowded café. Making her way towards the waving redhead, she hung her coat against the wall and greeted her brother inside Capistrano.<p>

"So how are things with you and Hermione? Have you talked to mum again?" Ron made his sigh heard over the background chatter.

"Not really, dad owled us yesterday, speaking for the both of them I assume," they both shared a look of understanding, knowing that Molly would cool off eventually and that you had to deal with whatever alternative lifestyle choices you made that would knowing displease your mother. At least until she finished processing.

"But that's not what I wanted to talk about," Ron's expression turned a little more serious and Ginny raised an eyebrow inquisitively. He seemed a little nervous about something, "Ginny, do you know why I wanted you to come to lunch with me?"

"Is it because I'm your favourite sibling and you've been fighting off an overwhelming desire to feed me?" Ginny asked with a sugary sweet smile and Ron rolled his eyes.

"If I was made Minister for Magic I don't think I would make enough to feed the both of us," he retorted, and as if on cue, the waitress came around with a huge bowl of chilli, a side of garlic bread and some fish and chips for Ron and a salad, soup and sandwich for Ginny. They both grinned, delighted at how little space on their table was left over.

"Okay, now are you going to keep me in suspense or will you tell me what I'm doing here, brother dear," Ginny restarted after taking a few delicious spoonfuls of her potato and leek soup. Ron bit off a piece of garlic bread that he'd dipped in the chilli and proceeded to respond as he chewed. Ginny wasn't altogether grossed out by her brother's manners as she was under the firm belief that time efficiency was at a minimum when you had to stop and swallow your food. _Time is of the essence, _she thought to herself with a mouthful of salad.

"Ginny, I know about Fudge ordering your suspension," Ginny opened her mouth to respond in surprise but was cut off. "How long have our units been working together on this case? Of course I was going to find out, we both know how fast news travels." Ginny had to nod in acknowledgement of that truth.

Ron leaned forward on the table, taking a significant break from his food, "Things are starting to move again, Gin. Fudge has been very busy in the departments, if you so much as sneeze the wrong way you could find yourself off work for a month without pay. It's all done under the guise of ironing out insubordination and shoddy management of skills within the Ministry, but obviously there's more at stake."

Ginny leaned in as well, listening intently, rapt with attention.

"There are a lot of new faces being brought in, particularly within the Auror division. Fudge is trying to get his people mingling in with the rest of us, keeping an eye out for "illicit" behaviour."

"But why? What is he gaining from any of this?" Ginny asked, furious. Fudge had been nothing but a hindrance on all sides in the war against Voldemort, ever since he returned in Ginny's third year.

"Ginny, you know as well as I do that most of the inspiration for Fudge's actions comes from someone else. You Know Who may not be directly involved at this point, but Kingsley's certain that before long he means to take over the Ministry; this is just the start. He won't be so bold as to come out and name himself Minister, it suits his purposes now to keep out of the public's sights. But whoever it is that's influencing Fudge has obviously decided or been given permission to start preparing for the final assault. Things are going to start looking grim again and I have a feeling that we haven't even seen the darkest of it yet," Ron leaned back in his chair and Ginny let his words sink in.

"Keep your head down, Gin. They'll be looking for any excuse to terminate your status as Agent." Ron looked as if he were about to say something else, but changed his mind. "Just, look after yourself."

Ginny almost retorted at his protective brotherly instincts, but she knew his meaning was very well intended. _I can't even imagine what he's going through, what with mum, Hermione with a baby on its way and the fight against corruption in the Ministry… _

They wordlessly agreed on the conversation taking a lighter turn and they both ate their meals in reserved happiness, enjoying the easy conversation that happened only between family and old friends.

They paid their bills and headed out the door saying a final goodbye.

"Tell Hermione I'm thinking of her," Ginny bade.

"I will," he smiled and ruffled her hair which earned him a jab to the ribs and a slap on the hand. _Brothers, _she thought, annoyed.

"Now little sister, if you need anything at all, you come see me. Things are going to be tough for awhile, no doubt, especially with everything you've been dealing with these last months: Ed and―

"Ron, don't. You know him and I―

"Yes, yes. Alright, all I'm saying is that if anything's wrong or… off, our door will be open," he finished with unusual sincerity and sensitivity.

Ginny sighed in acceptance. "Thank you, Ron. And you know I'll be there if you need it too." Ron smiled and made to mess up her hair even more but in the blink of an eye she had her wand out. "Don't. You. Dare," he laughed in response to her murderous gaze, patting her on the cheek before apparating back to the office.

Stopping at the liquor store on her way back home to pick up some mulled wine for the two lovely honeymooners that may or may not be arriving that night, Ginny finished her chores for the day.

She contemplated cleaning her apartment, but decided to put on The Lord of the Rings and do some yoga. She'd been neglecting her exercise since she no longer had work to keep her motivated, but she willed herself back into it. More than once her body's quick reflexes and fitness had gotten her out of trouble when she hadn't had time to cast magic. Ron's update had not left her mind with much ease, and she wanted to make sure she was as prepared for the months ahead as she could be.

She went out for a lengthy run to soothe her busy mind. It was a toll on her unprepared muscles, but she returned to her apartment hot, sweaty and satisfied. She changed into a pair of track-pants and cooked dinner, shuffling subconsciously around her kitchen as her radio blared.

Turning her television on once more, she ate her meal in relaxation, feeling that awful tug of sleepiness pull at her eyes. Napoleon came and pinned the blankets on top of her as she lay down to get more comfortable. She tried to find something interesting to watch to keep her awake, but nothing could handle the heavy task. Her run had taken away most of her ability to overcome sleep, which she found entirely unbelievable as all she'd been doing with her time these days was to sleep. She closed her eyes for the slightest of moments, just for a little rest, but before she could control herself, she was out cold.

It wasn't until she was jarred awake by a loud rapping at her door that she realized she'd succumbed. She could tell by the darkness of her apartment, hours must have slipped by and she jumped up off the couch in alarm, tossing a displeased cat to the floor. She jabbed her wand towards the lights in the apartment to brighten the place up and turned off the t.v. Rushing to the door, she noticed how impatient the knocks had become. _Ugh, I hope that haven't been waiting long. _"Hold on, I'm coming!"

The smile at seeing her friends on the other side was already creeping on her face before she'd unlocked the door. The knocking stopped as the lock unhitched and she threw the door open, ready to embrace her long awaited Loony Lovegood. But instead felt as if a cold bucket of water had been thrown over her as she was met by an empty hallway.

Ginny stepped outside her flat, checking around to see if she could make any sense of it. The building was quiet, not a soul to be found. _Luna wouldn't have left if she'd heard me inside… _she thought with absolute certainly, _and she couldn't have zipped away that quickly_. She got a chill down her spine and her Auror precautions took over. She cast a quick searching spell which would reveal any hidden presences, but it came back with nothing to tell.

Not knowing what else to do, she went back inside, pulling the door shut behind her. She stopped short of closing it as she heard the soft clinking of metal against the wood. After an investigation, she discovered a ring attached to a chain slung over her doorknob. She grabbed it hesitantly, looking around vainly to see if any persons had reappeared. Closing her door and sealing it with magic just in case, she looked closer at the warm gold ring with a band of jade around the middle and every hair on her body stood on their ends. She knew the ring well, too well.

In a quick flurry of motions she put a number of spells on the offending object, mostly to detect hidden curses or enchantments and make sure the ring was not a duplication. Nothing came up to suggest that the ring was not exactly what it appeared to be. Her blood turned to ice as she tried to come to terms with its presence's implications. She lay awake the rest of the night, wand close at hand.

She watched as the first few rays of the new day peaked through her window before she managed to doze off for an hour or two. She mercifully waited until eight thirty before leaving the apartment. Obviously there was something wicked at work here and Ginny knew that a clue as significant as this needed to be told to someone capable. Someone was trying to get a message across to her, but she didn't have enough information to piece it together.

She made herself a quick pot of coffee while putting on her coat and scarf to protect against the morning chill. Pouring the deliciously reviving liquid into a thermos, she apparated to her brother's flat, taking him up on the offer he'd made her.

Ginny rapped on their front door perhaps a little louder than necessary, but she was in desperate need of another mind to look over the situation. Her own was too filled with racing ideas and more than a little perturbed. The sight of that particular ring instilled in her a deep and disturbing unease.

The door swung open and a very bushy haired Hermione came into view. "Ginny! How are you, come inside!" obviously surprised to see her good friend and boyfriend's sister at her front door, but nonetheless pleased. Hermione had always been a morning person, so it was no surprise to see her up, her brother was another matter though.

"Hey Hermione, I've just come by to tell Ron something… important," she explained, shifting from one foot to another anxiously. "He hasn't left for work yet has he?" she asked, as she entered their flat, noting the absence of the loud presence that was usually her brother. On occasions Ron was in at the office by seven in the morning and she was worried she'd not get to talk to him until the evening.

"He's just in the shower now, can I get you anything? You're looking pretty worn out."

_I can imagine, _Ginny though without humour. "No, I'm alright; I grabbed a coffee before leaving my place. So how are you doing?" she asked, sitting down at the kitchen table while Hermione continued to wash the dishes that must have been from breakfast. Ginny sipped from her thermos with mild impatience as she waited for her brother to come out, but listened with genuine interest. Hermione filled her in on her own work and their plans to start looking for a bigger place for when the baby was due.

"Ginny, what are you doing here?" her brother's voice called out from the other end of the kitchen in blunt surprise. "It's a miracle you're even awake!" he slumped down in a chair opposite his sister, arranging his freshly put on work robes.

"You're the one who told me to come by if I had anything to tell you," Ginny reminded, and he looked at her inquisitively.

"Well I meant at a reasonable hour, not at the crack of dawn," he explained with a yawn. Hermione smacked him on the side of the head as she put a steaming mug in front of him.

Too desperate to get to the point, Ginny held back her retort. "I have something I need to show you."

"Merlin, well that was quick."

Ginny scowled at his lack of seriousness when he'd been so appropriately grave yesterday. "This was left at my apartment last night," she explained, pulling out the ring by its chain and resting it on the table. Hermione and Ron both inclined their heads closer to get a better look. Ron stared at it, comprehension slowly trickling in.

"Someone… gave you a ring?" he deduced and even Hermione had to resist the temptation to roll her eyes.

"Don't you recognize it?" Ginny asked deploringly, wishing that they would understand its utter significance. She could see the gears turning inside Hermione's head.

"I suppose it is familiar, but what of it?" Ron asked, curiosity peaked.

"Ron," she began imploringly, picking it back up and holding it out for him, "Ron, this is… was Edward's. He bought it in Egypt years and years ago and has taken in off maybe a handful of times since then. He even slept with it on, I swear."

Ron frowned deeply. "Are you sure, I mean, how―

Hermione rested a warning hand on his arm. "Do you honestly believe I would be here if there were any doubts?" Ginny threw back, disappointed in his questioning. She took a deep breath and started from the beginning. "Someone was outside my apartment last night, they knocked until I came to the door but vanished before I could identify them. They left it for me to find."

"Could someone be playing a cruel trick on you? Trying to mess with your head?"

She opened her mouth to tell Ron that this was more significant than a mere joke, but Hermione added her voice to the conversation. "For anyone to leave such a memento for you in particular indicates knowledge of yours and Edward's relationship. With his disappearance and the messenger's obvious reluctance to be seen, it certainly hints at a more malevolent purpose."

Ron sat in his chair, quietly processing. Ginny was more than thankful to have Hermione's insightful input and added quietly, "He was wearing it on the morning he was taken."

"Are you―

"_Yes! _I'm sure of it! I saw it on his hand before he left the Ministry that day; it was there."

"If this is true," Hermione reasoned out, "the only ones who would have had access to it were the Death Eaters who captured him. If there's a message to be gotten Ginny, that would have to mean it comes from them," she ended heavily, coming to the exact conclusion that Ginny had when she first perceived the metal piece in her hand. She shivered at the vulnerable situation this left her in.

"But who does this make the intended target?" Ron pondered aloud. "You or him?"

Hermione and Ginny shared an unsure look.

Ron continued, "If they're using this as a sign, a warning or even a threat, it could very well mean that he's still alive. An Auror would be of great value to them, both for information and leverage against us."

"We've never found any trace of those who've gone missing…"

"Think about it Ginny… _why? _Why have we not been able to track them? Why have no bodies turned up? Not even a single one. There is a great evil at work in the country, one that we do not yet have the tools to understand or the weapons to hold back, yet we keep on trying."

For awhile there was nothing left for any of them to say. Ron glanced at his watch, realizing that he had to get to work. The mood in the kitchen remained subdued as Ginny said goodbye to Hermione with a promise to come round on the weekend and then she left with Ron to walk him out the building.

"Ginny, are you going to be alright at your place by yourself?" Ron asked as they entered the elevator.

"Don't worry, my wards are all up to date, Bill made sure of that when he was last over. And I've proven more than enough times that I can handle myself. Sometimes I just get a little… shaken," she admitted uncharacteristically. Ron understood her confession and tactfully accepted it for what it was and didn't push anything.

"Would you mind if I borrowed the ring?" he asked suddenly and Ginny slid it out of her pocket and passed it to him without hesitation. He tucked it safely inside his pocket and turned to her, explaining, "I'm going to look into this, ask around, and maybe find out if any of the other missing persons' things have turned up."

"Thank you," she returned, expecting nothing more from her sibling.

"You and I both know that with the office in such a state of disorder it probably won't amount to much…" he added unnecessarily. Ginny hadn't been gone that long to forget the sideways political state of the Ministry. "So, in the meanwhile, don't go walking through dark woods without your wand and don't take _any _chocolate frogs from wizards you don't know," he concluded mightily.

Ginny crinkled her nose in mock distaste.

"And lock your doors," he said in a perfect imitation of seriousness before Disapparating at the very second before the elevator doors opened to the building's lobby.

A wistful smile crept to her face at her brother's attitude, but it melted away as her brow snuck into a furrow. Her meeting with Ron had been meant to simplify things, but she felt them complicating by the hour.

**TBC**

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><p><span>Author's note:<span> Well this chapter took a little longer than I expected, but there was a lot to chop away at, I have many plot lines and characters that are going to need to be set up. But I've got a pretty solid outline for the story now and I've got the next like, twelve chapters mapped out in point-form which I've never really bothered to do with a fanfiction before :)… I generally just wing it. Anyways, I hope you're enjoying the story so far and I would absolutely appreciate all forms of review! They're a huge motivation, guys :)


	5. The Children

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the wonderful world of Harry Potter. If I owned Remus Lupin or Draco Malfoy, I probably wouldn't be up late writing fanfiction in my bed… I would have better things to do in here ;)

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><p><strong>Chapter Five<strong>

"Are you alright?" a voice from beside her on the couch asked softly.

Luna sighed and rested her head on her husband's shoulder as they enjoyed a final week at home before getting back to their respective work schedules. "I'm just thinking about Ginny," she replied feeling Neville's similar sentiments.

Ginny had left only minutes before. Luna had unfailingly noticed something was up with her best friend the moment she opened the door and saw her carrying croissants and muffins. Before their coffees had time to cool, she was making Ginny spill everything that had happened since they'd been gone.

At first she'd been reluctant to get it all out, but Luna was not having any of it. She knew the girl well enough to see when she was trying to bottle some very powerful emotions, and from experience it was never a pretty sight when she finally broke and let it all out at once. She never wanted Ginny to lose herself like that again.

"You know how it is," she said to Luna when her friend tried to offer support, "When it rains, it pours!" she finished with a humourless laugh that anyone who didn't know her might not have seen through.

But Luna was not someone who didn't know her, in fact, Luna was probably the only one who knew her as well as she did herself. She persisted and finally got the unedited version of events, learning of Ginny's mishap at the Caterpillar, her night at Remus' (which Luna couldn't fail to note brought an embarrassed blush to her friend's cheeks) and then the morning that followed. Neville and Luna exclaimed a happy cheer when they learned of Hermione's pregnancy and the three gossiped a bit amongst themselves about Ron and her becoming parents.

Ginny also revealed the presence of Harry's new flame, Maia and though attempting nonchalance, Luna was wise to how much it bothered her. Ginny had never fully disclosed what had happened between her and Harry after the Battle for Hogwarts, but there were undoubtedly a lot of strings left untied. She didn't push though, this was clearly not the time for that. Something concerned her about the way Ginny had asked if the two had stopped by last night and after the story she heard about Ginny's mysterious guest, her mind was left uneased.

"Edward Donahue…" she murmured, pondering aloud. No matter which way she looked at it, something was disturbingly off about the whole situation.

"There's too little to go on to make any sense of it now," Neville inputted and Luna agreed reluctantly. She chewed her lip in worry, having a sick sense that by the time Ginny understood the messenger's intention, it would be too late. For what, she did not know, but she knew without doubt that it certainly bode ill.

* * *

><p>Ginny walked down Diagon Alley with a renewed bounce in her step. Seeing Luna and Neville had greatly loosened the knot of tension that had been forming inside her chest. It had been a great relief to confide in Luna without feeling guilty for laying out all her problems on someone. The two of them had been each others' life supports since their third year.<p>

She said goodbye to the newly dark skinned boy and his ever fair wife with mild regret, but figured the two would like to spend their first day back from travels recouping. So, not feeling particularly ready to head back to her empty apartment, she decided to stop in at the shop and see how her favourite identical brothers were.

She slid through the door, passing by several chatty customers as she headed to the back where she knew at least _one _of them would be.

She gave a wave to the heavily tattooed girl behind the counter named Kaleisha who'd been working with the twins ever since they opened and was simply a sweet heart, with an insatiable sense of humour to boot. Ginny long suspected it was her total lack of conformational inhibitions which led her to be the perfect fit. Being the approving sister she was, Ginny also always secretly hoped that one of her brothers would turn their interests onto her; their personalities fit together perfectly... but she _supposed _it wasn't any of her business. Plus, she knew from experience that dating within the work place had its own set of... _complications._

"Oh brothers, where art thou?" Ginny sung into the over-packed back room. Several smells assaulted her nose when she entered; each time was quite different from the last.

Today's was an odd combination of charcoal and beeswax. The back room was where the majority of their production experiments went on so Ginny made very sure not to disturb any of the scattered clutter. You never knew what could be lurking under that lumpy piece of fabric, or what the real purpose was for that seemingly innocent flowerpot. Containing flowers would probably be the most unexpected.

"Sister?" a call came from behind one of the jutting shelves stacked with labelled boxes.

"Ginevra Molly! Is it your delightful voice which greets my ears?" another nearly exact voice called after.

Ginny smiled as she tiptoed hesitantly over a pale blue powder that was dusted across her path. She turned the corner and was met with a bizarre sight. Her two brothers were standing at the edge of a large cleared space wearing protective goggles with dark lenses.

"What are you two up to now?" she asked suspiciously at their matching grins.

"Little sister, funny you should show up now. You might actually be able to help us," Fred exclaimed with joy and Ginny's suspicion grew deeper. She had never come out the better after _helping _the twins with one of their products.

"We've been working on duplicating the light grenade you told us about," George began, waving a beckoning hand.

"We're very close; the basic principle wasn't too difficult to produce we just want to tweak it so it's as potent for our team as possible," Fred continued. "Here, take these," he said, passing a pair of similar goggles that he got from the work desk behind them. "George is going to set it off and you can tell us how you feel about it."

"I assume I'll feel blind if it works," Ginny quickly put the glasses on, not feeling any desire to be blinded _again_. George gave her and Fred a thumbs up and tossed a small, black, egg-sized device which bounced once heavily then stayed on the ground a few feet in front of them.

The thing changed from black to grey to white in an instant, barely perceptible as she experienced the familiar explosion of brightness. The light did not hurt as it did before, but she squinted against it, thankful when it seemingly got sucked back into the black egg.

"We're working on making it last longer, we want something that will give you more than an instant's cover," George explained, pulling his goggles off his face to rest on the top of his head, hair sticking all over the place. Ginny and Fred followed suit, putting theirs back on the desk.

"Also, we want to find a way so that somehow the thrower will not be affected, but the spell-work required is terribly complicated and we haven't been able to tweak them just right," Fred added.

"What about the weight?" Ginny asked, trying to imagine using such an object on duty or in a fight. "Would it be inconvenient to carry or draw?"

"You should have seen our first ones," Fred replied, bending over to pick the lifeless object up.

"Took the both of us to even lift it," George continued, "it was difficult to compress the expansive element but we got it down quite nicely: look for yourself."

Fred passed her the egg grenade and she tossed it up and down in her hand. "How do you set it off?" she asked, quite curious.

"Just squeeze it tight and let 'er fly," Fred exclaimed proudly as Ginny went through the motions of throwing it, testing out the weight.

"Here you go," she said handing it back to them. "Top marks, boys."

George let out a _whoop _of approval, throwing his goggles into the air, not caring where they fell. As it would seem they did with everything in their storeroom.

"Let's have a little break," Fred suggested and Ginny had to laugh.

"What, from all the hard work you do playing back here?"

"Butterbeer?" Fred asked, pulling three bottles out from a cooler under the desk.

Everyone met at the table and popped the caps off their bottles, clinking them together and taking a chug.

"You hurt us, Ginny." George feigned after swallowing his gulp. "But speaking of hard work, shouldn't you be off doing some? Fighting crime, putting a stop to evil, serving the greater good... you know," he asked light heartedly, wiping a bit of foam off his top lip.

"Nope, I've decided to take a three month sabbatical," she declared in response.

Both raised an inquisitive brow; Ginny was not one to take time willingly away from work.

"And what has brought this on, we wonder?"

"The fact that I was suspended from work for three months," she replied, pretending to be devastatingly interested in the antlers that her brothers resourcefully turned into a coat hook.

"Yikes..." George breathed and the twins exchanged a look of displeasure.

"Fudge is taking control of things more tightly than last time, I don't think Dumbledore will be able to intimidate him anymore," Ginny explained in an even tone. Having already been through the retelling with Remus, Ron, Luna and Neville, she was starting to get fed up with the whole sympathy train that came along with it.

"That's a tough break, sister."

"Indeed it is, brother."

"Are you going to be alright in the meantime? You know―money? Sanity? Death Eater thwarting?"

"You can always work a couple hours here and there in the store if you need," George offered for the both of them.

Ginny couldn't help it but let out a snort. "That's the second job offer I've gotten this morning! I'll remember that next time I'm in need of work," she exclaimed, thinking earlier to when Neville had let her know that with her training and Auror experience he could reference her to the departments that were in need of healers; she'd probably be hired within the week. "I get this month's pay, and I've saved enough to keep me afloat for _two _months. Bloody hell, it's not like I'm searching for a new profession here!" she exclaimed once more, throwing her arms in the air to emphasize her point, spilling some of her drink on her shirt. She looked down on it in distaste.

"We trust you, Ginny," Fred called from across the room as he began a search through a pile of odds and assortments for something apparently important.

"We know you can take care of yourself, after all, you were always the most intelligent of mother's brood," George admitted freely.

"Which to me never seemed a fair trade: each of your siblings are dashingly handsome and all you get is a brain? How _do _you handle it?" Fred chirped over his shoulder.

Ginny chucked a stray pigmypuff at his back.

George belched and put his empty bottle down, scratching his stomach comically. He raised a hand, pointing at Ginny and opened his mouth about to make a point when a voice filled the back room as if coming from everywhere at once, cutting through their conversation.

"Would one of you two be able to come up front? The line's almost out the door," Kaleisha called from the counter in the front of the shop.

"Business calls, Ginnybean!"

"George, pass me your wand," Fred asked and George tossed his to his twin unconcerned, heading out to the front.

Ginny figured it was time to let them get back to work and so said her goodbye to Fred. She heard him mutter a quiet summon for his own wand and Ginny laughed, looking back to see it fly out from the opposite side of the room. Ginny shook her head at both of her brothers' absentmindedness.

She re-entered the store from the back and couldn't even believe how packed it had gotten in the last twenty minutes; it was wall to wall with people in every direction. She was always so proud of her brothers' aptitudes for sales, business and merchandise, she just sometimes wished it didn't make it so difficult for her to escape!

Inching her way through the crowd slowly but surely, she almost reached the door to freedom before her way was stopped by a new voice calling her out. "Ginny? Ginny, I thought it was you!" Ginny stopped in her spot, scanning the people around to find her addressor. She caught a glimpse of the familiar blond crop and found herself face to face with Maia.

"Harry, look who's here!" she called out merrily over her shoulder and Ginny spotted the dark shock of messy hair turn away from the shelves' merchandise, those green eyes falling on her in surprise.

"Ginny!" he called out, shuffling his way over. He looked moderately uncomfortable about something and his smile didn't fully reach his eyes as the two of them hugged.

"We were just at Gringotts when Harry said we should stop in and say hi to your brothers!" she exclaimed with a beam, much more jovial than Ginny remembered her from when they'd last met. _I can't really blame her though, _she admitted, knowing how out of place the girl must have felt at the last Weasley lunch affair.

"That's great, yeah I was just doing the same before it became a madhouse in here," Ginny offered, feeling it would be impolite not to return the conversation, but seriously wishing she could get out of there.

"Have you got the morning off or something?" Harry asked curiously and Ginny wanted the floor to swallow her up.

"I'm actually going to be off work for the next few months," she swallowed a sigh, "Fudge has ordered my suspension for the time being, nothing any of us can do," shrugging her shoulders and hoping that she could find a spot to make her break for it.

Harry looked completely bowled over and opened his mouth to interject but a loud explosion near the front of the store distracted everyone's attention for the slightest of moments.

"It's been great seeing you two," she started and they turned back to her "but I'm on my way out."

"Okay, have a great day, Ginny!" Maia bade and Ginny returned the favour to both of them before turning away and walking out of the store at last. She thought she may have heard Harry calling after her, but she continued on, unwilling to turn back for fear of what he might have to say.

Unfortunately for her, things seemed to have a nasty way of catching up.

* * *

><p>There was a loud knock at the door as Ginny sat with a book in her bed. Her body froze for a split second as she recollected the last time she had a knocker come to call. She looked out the window and saw the sun still high in the sky and the sound of traffic from down below, not exactly an auspicious time to be up to mischief.<p>

She walked towards the door in her tank top and boxer shorts, but decided to grab the handy bathrobe that was draped over the back of her couch. The thing was a pale, faded baby blue and had been hers since she was seventeen. She managed to overlook the severely worn hem and collar as she tied the sash nice and tight, slipping her wand inside one of the deep pockets.

Desperately realizing she needed to install an eye-piece in her door, she unlocked the chain and opened it to a―at that particular moment―unwelcome sight.

"Harry!" she exclaimed with somewhat feigned pleasure. She could see the momentary disappointment in his eyes at the less than pleased greeting and she instantly felt a pang of guilt. Even she had to admit that she'd been less than warm to him as of late and after all this time she had no reason to be. "Do you want to come in?"

"Sorry to come over unannounced," he apologized, stepping inside.

"It's alright, not like I have too much to do these days," she replied with a little smile.

"I'm sorry to hear about your job," he returned and Ginny nodded in acceptance of his sympathy.

"I'm not too concerned, I might actually be able to make up for, what, _nine _years of sleep?" Harry had many memories of Ginny moaning and groaning over having to wake up in the morning and realized she was probably not exaggerating.

"So what brings you around these parts?" she asked naturally, sitting herself down on the loveseat while he sat beside her at the end of the couch. She was a little dismayed when her bathrobe rode up and revealed her bare thighs as she caught Harry trying hard to resist the urge to look at her very recently shaved legs. _Boys… _

He cleared his throat nervously before beginning. "I just felt I owed it to you to explain about Maia…" he trailed off, seemingly waiting for a reaction.

Ginny released a tiny sigh; this had been the exact conversation she'd been trying to avoid all week. "Harry…" she began, but he cut her off.

"I know having her over to the Burrow wasn't exactly a fair surprise to throw at you," Ginny couldn't help but agree, though honestly didn't hold anything against him, "but Ron invited the both of us when he was talking about his _big news. _I don't think he could help himself, and I didn't want to take back her invite."

"Harry, there's nothing to explain," she started, wishing irrationally that she could somehow get her point across to him without having to actually say it. "You have every reason to be seeing other people, we both do." Noticing the indecisive look on his face, she added softly "I thought we were past this, Harry."

He ran a hand through his already messy hair and sighed, leaning back. "You're right, I don't know, I guess I just feel like… Do you ever imagine how different it would have been?" he asked with a wistful smile.

"What?" Ginny said with a laugh, "The two kids, the house by the sea? Matching toothbrushes and everything?"

"I always imagined there would be three," Harry confessed with a grin.

"Why would we need three toothbrushes?" Ginny replied teasingly and he shook his head smiling. She did miss him. Missed his friendship and the ease of conversation they'd always managed to find. But after Hogwarts a part of them both had gone missing and they'd never really been able to get it back.

"Harry," she began in a more serious tone, "I can tell that Maia is a charming girl and she's obviously smitten. Don't let the past ruin that for you."

Harry nodded, obviously deep in thought. Ginny wondered if he'd even heard her.

"It was hard to hear about you and Donahue," he admitted with unexpected vulnerability. Harry had actually known Edward before Ginny had ever met him. They'd been working together for some time in the Auror Department after the Battle for Hogwarts, before Harry left to pursue less corrupted and bureaucratic means of stalling the enemy. Ginny's heart clenched as she stared at the gleaming eyes and pale lightning shaped scar on one of her oldest friend's face. _So much loss, _she thought for him miserably.

"I know it was, Harry and I always wished it hadn't been…" she trailed off, unsure what else there was to say.

Harry looked her over, considering her words. "I was sorry to hear what happened to him."

"Me too," Ginny added quietly, wishing suddenly that she were alone. They sat in silence for a long moment, neither knowing what to talk of.

"I've actually got to head out now," Harry finally said, breaking the quiet. Ginny couldn't tell whether he was simply making it up or not, but glad either way.

She stood up and he followed her to the door. "Sorry again for stopping by so suddenly," he said with sincerity.

"Anytime, Harry," she invited, more than half hoping he would not take her up on the offer. "It was good to see you," she said, giving him a warm hug in parting. She meant it, Harry had become a permanent fixture in her life long ago, and despite all the changes they'd both gone through, he would always be practically a family member.

"Don't be a stranger," he said to her with a renewed smile before leaving her apartment. Ginny closed the door and leaned against it, breathing in the quiet of her empty home.

Less than twenty minutes later she was out running by the Thames, sweat pouring down her face and back as she forced herself on to the next kilometer. She wanted to push herself hard enough to exhaust her mind and give her some peace, but no matter how hard she went, everything kept bubbling to the surface. She quit fighting and stopped quite suddenly, deciding to rest against a thick tree to watch a boat go under the Tower Bridge.

She used the back of her arm to dry her face.

The sun was getting low on the horizon and for some reason the serenity of the scene made her heart ache. It was times like this when she wished she'd spent more time learning how to paint or draw instead of how to disarm three opponents from three different sides of the room with just one wrist movement. _There's still time, _a soft voice reassured, when another whispered, _but_ _not much.__  
><em>

She relaxed against the textured bark for only a moment before something tickled her sense, as if she were being watched. She stood straight, regaining her posture as she subtly turned her head down the lane to her left to check from her periphery. Several muggles wandered down the path in jabbering groups, unconcerned with the lone runner taking a break on the side.

She looked to her right and saw much the same scene.

She almost began to berate herself for her paranoia, but from behind came the quiet yet unmistakable sound of someone Disapparating. Flinging herself away from the tree and reaching for her wand, her heart pounded once more as she came to the realization that she had left it in her apartment. She caught a fleeting image of her bathrobe laying on her bed as she walked out of her room to go for her run. She could have hit herself for her carelessness. _Moody would flay me for this._

_Someone's followed me, _she realized furiously, not even able to say for how long.

She made a split decision to change her route and head to the very close Leaky Cauldron to floo to her apartment which was many blocks away. Her senses on high alert, she brought her tired body back into a run. Making sure she stayed within sight of large crowds people, she proceeded to her destination. More than once she caught the faint tingle that someone was keeping a malevolent eye on her, but she didn't catch another sign of them until she got to the Leaky Cauldron.

She entered the familiar pub in a hurry, making her way to the bar while avoiding the many curious stares her appearance received.

"Tom," the barman noticed her and smiled in recognition, "would I be able to use a pinch of floo powder?" she asked and he pulled out a heavy bag from underneath the bar. He rested it on the counter, allowing her to grab a small handful of the fine powder. She thanked him gratefully and headed over to the fireplace, glancing around once more before throwing the dust into the small flames.

The occupants of the pub seemed at ease, eating and drinking with their company. So it wasn't until her second pass that she caught sight of the figure standing by the door.

He remained stationary, a statue in the dim lighting.

She could not see his face, his hood shedding a concealing shadow over his features, but he was staring straight at her. She returned the gaze, looking steadily into the dark folds where she knew eyes perceived her. This stranger did not wish her well. She turned away, quickly flooing to the safety of her warded apartment.

* * *

><p><strong>Horror Strikes Godric's Hollow<strong>

_By Kendall Wright_

_ Once the home of some of Britain's most notable witches and wizards, Godric's Hollow has again become host for the terror and brutality dealt out by the Dark Forces (the last being nearly twenty years ago when He Who Must Not Be Named attempted to murder the entire Potter family). In the early morning of January eighteenth, muggles and magical folk alike were forced to flee into their homes at the sight of a first attack. Not a warning was issued as Death Eaters led an unforgiving assault on the undefended town, burning the homes and indiscriminately cursing any inhabitants they came across. Casualties reaching near thirty, this has become one of the most vicious and bold attacks on the magical community since the Battle for Hogwarts three years previous._

_Full story on page 5. _

"How much do you know about this?" Ginny demanded, shaking a copy of the Quibbler in Kingsley's direction, who had only just recovered from finding her in his office after coming back from a lunch break.

"Weasley, what in the name of magic are you doing here?" he said in a low, cautious voice shutting his door softly after checking outside to see if anyone were watching. Ginny made note of his reaction, but left out any comment.

"I came to find out what you know about this attack, Kingsley!" she exclaimed with slight desperation. "Was there anything different from the others? Anything in particular, anything out of the ordinary?"

"Ginny," he said quietly, using her first name as he so rarely did now that he was her superior, "hasn't your brother told you the state of things within the Ministry? It's a risk for you to even be in the office, Fudge has his people in all the departments now…" he trailed off, obviously concerned.

"Look, I know what's going on, just because I'm on suspension doesn't mean I've stopped being an Auror," she threw at him with emotion, continuing quickly as Kingsley opened his mouth to reply. "Do you even know how much work I've spent in my office these last months pouring over all the town attack reports? There has always been something off about them, I remember you telling me that yourself."

Kingsley nodded. He remembered the late nights she'd spent scanning fervently through files and reports for the investigation that she wasn't even assigned to. He could barely understand how she held up under the strain of taking on more than her share of work and more than once he'd felt compelled to tell her to take it easy. She never listened. _She so rarely does, _he couldn't help but remind himself.

Ginny had become completely obsessed over the positioning of bodies in and around the town. The first muggle massacre began near the village's centre. The muggles, having no previous experience or memory of any magical encounter were left entirely defenseless. But it was the children, the children were always found outside of the town near the woods or in fields. Always separate from the rest of the townspeople. And their bodies were unfailingly burnt. She could hardly forget hearing the nauseating news when Scrimgeour briefed the bureau after the first attack.

After further inspection, the bodies' examiners found that the burnings had all occurred post mortem in every case, but with the corpses in such a damaged state, not much else could be used to point them in a particular direction or another.

Just before Ginny's suspension there had been a total of five towns found like this, all with the children secluded from the rest. No one could figure out why. The first two were entirely muggle communities but it wasn't until the third where magical inhabitants were found dead as well.

"The pattern has never been discernable; Death Eaters have been leaving their mark above muggle and wizarding communities alike, but without clear motivation. Voldemort may be an evil sadistic bastard but he's not random, _never _without a purpose." She stopped pacing, gazing pensively out the false window to the simulated rainy London afternoon. "It's the bodies… something about the children's bodies," she muttered and Kingsley sat up in his seat, curiosity peeked as Ginny was seemingly close to something. "That's where the cipher will be, that's where you'll find what they're looking for. This is more than a message being sent to us, sir. They're after something."

"After what?"

"I can't even begin to imagine yet," she confessed. "Tell me about Godric's Hollow, did they find the children outside the town again?"

"Yes, everything was exactly the same as the times before," he hesitated and Ginny sensed that there was something else. She froze in her spot and struck him with a piercing gaze.

"What?"

"For a community as large as Godric's Hollow, there were fewer children than should have been expected. The lowest number yet."

"Are you sure they're all accounted for?" Ginny asked, feeling that they were so close to something. So many pieces of the puzzle were still missing; they had no way of seeing the bigger picture. But maybe this was a new one that could give them a hint of a clue.

"They're still trying to identify all the bodies now so that they can match them to the town's registry list, but until then, we don't have anything." Kingsley leaned back in his chair with a weary sigh. Ginny didn't think he looked terribly well but she understood the strain he was under as second in command to the Ministry's Auror Division while simultaneously for the Order of the Phoenix. Having to keep his connection to the Order as far as possible from Fudge's eyes in the Ministry was becoming more and more of a challenge as Fudge's witch hunts grew more determined each week.

She felt no envy for the heavy task that lay on his shoulders.

"Will you―

"Update you on the results?" he guessed with a small smile. "You know it's against Ministry regulation, Agent Weasley," he said in a mostly mock authoritative tone. "I'll send a copy of the file along with your brother. I don't want you coming back to the office like this," he added in a changed tone, "I don't think you quite understand how much you risk by being seen by the wrong eyes."

"Here or not, I have a sense that the wrong eyes already _are _watching me," she confessed suddenly, having for a while forgotten about the man who stalked her to the Leaky Cauldron. Kingsley's reaction was one of immediate suspicion. She wasted no time filling him in. "I caught someone following me two days ago. I didn't have my wand on me so I couldn't pursue…" she admitted, looking to the ground in angry shame. No properly trained Auror should ever be caught unawares without their wand. _Constant Vigilance! _she heard Moody berating in her head.

"Ginny, this is a serious concern!" he exclaimed, suddenly animated by her confession. "This could be Fudge's work, but then again during these times there are enemies on every side. You're the only daughter of one of the most despised bloodlines for any who have served You Know Who, you have inside information to the Order of the Phoenix, _and_ you're an Auror responsible for the recent dismantling of one of the Death Eater's central safe-house. You have found yourself in a very meaningful position for all those who stand against all that you're for."

He ran a hand over his smooth head, sighing. "You should have someone posted at your building, as a precautionary measure…" Ginny mostly agreed with what he was saying, but she understood why he'd trailed off. _Who? _they both asked themselves, feeling the dangerous pressure of the situation they were all in.

"Even if I truly thought I was presently in danger, there's no way I could file for a watch on my residence or person without it going straight to the top. Fudge would have to approve the request and would certainly use it as a way to post an agent loyal to him and willing to confide any information accumulated. Instead of one pair of eyes there would be two." She didn't like this feeling of being backed into a corner.

They talked for a while more before he left for a meeting with other heads of departments. He counseled her once again to keep her profile as low as possible but also to add more sophisticated wards to her home. And to never, _ever _leave without her wand again.

She left his office with mixed emotions and much to think about. She slipped down one of the lesser used hallways and went to the North elevators to avoid being seen by someone who would recognize her. Kingsley's caution left quite an impression on her.

After a few moments the elevator doors opened and she stepped into the unoccupied space. She stood in the elevator waiting for it to close, exhaling a breath of relief when the doors started to move together without anyone else joining her. Then, much to her displeasure, a robed arm reached out and grabbed the door before it shut. The figure who opened the elevator entered in a hurry as the doors slid shut together behind him.

He barely gave her a second glance before turning around to face the doors, but Ginny's neck hairs were on ends. Even just the back of this man's head was all too familiar to her, and the loathing for the person it belonged to bubbled deep in her core. But with it came an anxious apprehension.

Fudge's corruption was well known throughout the Ministry, and there she was, stuck in an elevator with one of the few people with connections close enough to the Minister that he could have her head on a platter just for being there.

_Don't turn around, _she commanded silently, trying hard to keep her nervous breathing steady. _Don't. Turn. Around. _The elevator started moving and Ginny forced herself to keep her gaze forward when he turned to take a second look at her. She could feel his recognition focusing and wished fervently that she could melt through the floor. Being so visibly identifiable as a Weasley had a number of disadvantages.

"Weasley?" Like being visibly identified.

"Malfoy," she replied in a cool tone. Lucky for her, it was one that always came quite naturally when speaking to Draco Malfoy.

"I'd heard that you'd been suspended," he said with a seemingly indifferent drawl, but Ginny could sense the undistracted attention in his face. His grey eyes cut into her composure, leaving her feeling exposed. Kingsley was right. She shouldn't have come in.

"Last week, actually," she responded, keeping her eyes forward.

"What brings you in to the office then, I wonder?" he replied, though perhaps quieter than he'd meant. It seemed almost as if he were asking the question more to himself than to her.

Ginny's head turned sharply to look him in the face as her mouth replied faster than her brain had time to filter, "And what brings a Malfoy down to the _Auror_ Department? Have you or your loved ones suffered an injustice you wish to right? Have you been unjustly discriminated against? Or has your father simply requested an accounting of the office whose main goal is to hunt down his allies and accomplices?" she spat.

Immediately she regretted her words, especially considering the precariousness of her situation, but her own suffered injustices and discrimination won out.

Malfoy regarded her wordlessly.

He did not seem angry or smug or even remotely close to something the Malfoy she'd grown up with would have been. Instead he appeared uncomfortable at her remark. Unsettled even.

But before Ginny had the moment to gain any insight or put her foot further in her mouth, the doors opened and she stepped past him without a backwards glance. She knew herself well enough to comprehend that the only way to not make this situation any worse was by keeping her mouth shut, and the only way to do that was to get as far away from him as fast as possible.

There was a time in her life when things hadn't always been so complicated, but at that moment, Ginny could not for the life of her remember when that might have been.

**TBC**

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><p><span>Author's note:<span> oh wow. This chapter took me a lot longer to write than had been previously predicted. I feel awful. I'm also having similar sentiments about life complications that Ginny's having. Admittedly, mine have nothing to do with the Dark Lord… just school and two jobs. I hope you liked this one and are getting a thirst for the story. Sorry that things with Remus aren't happening terribly quickly, but there's a lot to develop and I want their relationship to grow. I'm planting all the seeds for the story to take root and I hope you're not getting impatient! Please, please, _please_ leave reviews; they're the things that really force me to push these chapters out! Thanks a lot, guys.


	6. The Castle

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the wonderful world of Harry Potter. If I owned Remus Lupin or Draco Malfoy… I would have better things to do than write fanfiction ;).

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><p><strong>Chapter Six<strong>

"Move your left foot up to the red one by your knee," Luna called out helpfully, hanging by a rope maybe three feet below her friend.

Ginny looked down to see where she was aiming, discovering the notch that had been out of view before. She lifted her foot up to the faux red stone, then with the renewed leverage, pulled herself back into a steady climb. Luna, having paused to help Ginny get unstuck, followed after.

Back when she'd been in Auror training, Ginny had started indoor rock-climbing. It was a perfect was to help tone her body and work on a lot of muscles and reflexes that she otherwise wouldn't get to in her regular sessions. It was also a means of relaxation; ever since she'd been a child she'd loved heights, and especially getting to climb up to them (much to her mother's dismay). There were more than a few scars on her body from her adventures climbing trees near the Burrow.

So, when Luna had moved back to London the two made it a tradition to venture out into muggle London for the delight of being strapped into a harness to climb up some wall faces.

"So what were you saying?" Ginny asked once they got levelled out.

"I was _saying _that you need to stop moping about your apartment in a lethargic haze. You're place is starting to smell and you've become an abysmally poor conversationalist."

Ginny gave a snort of derision as she reached up to grab a hold with a precariously small grip. "I thought we were talking about you," she said in response, not enjoying the turn this conversation was taking. Especially since everything she said was absolutely true.

She rarely left her apartment anymore as all her previous reasons to leave she'd been suspended from. Other than to occasionally feed herself and her cat, Luna was her only escape. She couldn't even take pleasure in running as she now grew so paranoid of parting from the safety of her home alone.

"We are, we're talking about how my best friend has turned into a social leper and how it's left me to nurse her back to mental and hygienic health," she replied with a lazy drawl, swinging her body with an awkward sort of grace to grab hold of a particularly difficult to reach grip.

Ginny's heart sank again as she was once more put in her place. Lately Luna had been Ginny's only means of venting the insurmountable frustration of her recent life. And as the girl managed to do so adeptly, Luna's insight put a halt to all of Ginny's potential retorts.

"It would be nice to have you out on a date with Neville and I without having to feel like your guardian. Also, for a change of scenery, why don't you try looking like someone from the female gender again?"

Ginny made a face. She'd definitely been wearing track pants a lot more than she would like to admit. "And who exactly do you think I'd be bringing with me as a date? You see, my last boyfriend is currently missing, having been kidnapped by Death Eaters and the one before that, the _famous _Harry Potter is currently involved with a Miss Maia Perkins from Ipswich. Have I told you―

"That he came over to your apartment to apologize for bringing Miss Maia Perkins from Ipswich to the Burrow for family brunch? Yes, you may have mentioned it." Ginny stopped for a moment on the wall. Her rope went slack for a brief instant as her belayer down below adjusted for the unexpected halt. _Do I really sound as pathetic as Luna's making me feel? _she wondered guiltily.

Luna, now a few lengths above, watched her friend out of the corner of her eye. She knew how badly this limbo of nothing to do was eating at her and she knew that she was perhaps being a little harsh on the girl in her time of trouble, but that's exactly what she needed. No one could dig her out of this self-pitying and self-depreciating hole except her. She just needed a little encouragement from someone who cared about her.

"Seriously though, the only man in my life walks around on all fours and licks his bottom as often as possible on the kitchen counter."

"Oh, I didn't know you were seeing Michael again," Luna chimed in, unable to resist.

"_So _funny," she said, finally pulling herself up to the same height as Luna.

"Now stop being stupid. Anyway, I've already taken care of it," Luna looked down at her with a mischievous smile and Ginny returned it with a look of total suspicion.

"I do not trust you one bit. What are you trying to say?"

"Well, it just so happens that I bumped into Dean Thomas last week," she confessed, grin spreading across her face as Ginny scowled.

"Oh, you just _happened _to bump into him, did you?"

"Well not exactly, he was in the office looking to put an article in about his work's Quidditch team winning some sort of big charity tournament or some such thing. He asked about you," she explained vaguely, enjoying every minute of her friend's annoyance.

"_And?_" Ginny exclaimed furiously, so distracted that her foot completely missed the grip she was aiming for and for an instant she was supported in mid air by nothing but the ropes.

She grabbed back onto the wall. "Are you alright?" her belayer called up to her and she waved a reassuring hand down to him. Luna couldn't restrain her laughter.

"He asked how you were, what you were doing these days and whether you were seeing anyone, which of course, as my duty dictates, I provided him with answers, your address, _and _your blank social schedule for the next two months. So, I imagine you should be expecting an owl sometime within the week," she informed smugly, touching the ceiling.

"You did not," Ginny replied, eyes narrowing to a slit, knowing full well that she had.

"I don't see what your big problem is, Dean was a great guy. I mean, he stayed friends with your sorry arse even after you dumped him for his dorm mate, the _famous _Harry Potter."

_Dean Thomas, _she thought with mixed emotions. The two of them hate dated through most of her fifth year before she'd gotten involved with Harry. She remembered having a lot of fun with him, and he'd been so sweet and caring and easy to talk to. At the time though, they both wanted different things and Ginny just hadn't been ready for the serious commitment he'd been looking for.

They split up amicably, despite what many of her housemates had said behind her back. In fact, he was one of the first to tell her how happy he was for her and Harry. They lost contact after his graduation but he'd been one of the ones to fight alongside her and all the others at Hogwarts. The more she thought about him, the more she realized that catching up might not be such an awful prospect. _Merlin, I hate when that witch is right._

"If he owls me, I will consider it, but until then, keep your fat trap shut." Ginny warned and they both pushed off from the wall to be lowered back down.

Luna, managing to keep her immense pleasure under wraps, couldn't wait to get home and tell Neville just how delightfully conniving she was.

"Now let's go get lunch," Ginny commanded, and her will was done.

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><p>True to Luna's prediction, Ginny received the owl from Dean on the Sunday evening. She was a little ashamed to admit how excited she was to finally have something to look forwards to that didn't involve a tub of ice cream and a new episode of Breaking Bad.<p>

She returned his owl with an uncharacteristically long response, filling him in on her past few years in London working at St. Mungos and the Ministry. He was quick to send her one of equal length back and they set a date to meet in Hogsmede (for old time's sake) when it would be quiet during the week.

In no time at all, Wednesday was upon her. She wasted no time in flooing Luna to come over and help her prepare for her first date in months. With her sprawled out on her bed surrounded by the entire contents of her closet and dresser flung about the room.

"So what's it going to be?" Luna asked, holding up the two final contestants.

"Well that depends," Ginny began sullenly, "Do I want to look like I'm showing up to a funeral or afternoon tea with my grandmother?" Luna rolled her eyes. This had been going on for near an hour. She understood that her friend was nervous about going out on the first date since Edward had been in her life, but it was getting a little ridiculous and she needed to get a hold of herself.

"Ginny, you're grandmother is dead."

She blinked at her in response. "So, a funeral then?" she replied cheekily and Luna tossed the black dress at her and commanded her to change.

"Yes, mam," Ginny cried suddenly in mock obedience. "Now get out of my room, you pervert," she shouted as she flung a pair of underwear at Luna's back.

Twenty minutes passed until she finally remerged, wearing the long sleeved black dress with a square bust. She left her hair down, naturally wavy with a pair of white feather earrings to top it off. "Vous m'aimez?" she asked, doing a comical twirl for approval.

"Mais Madame, vous êtes magnifique!" she sang in a shrill imitation of what she assumed a posh French woman would sound like.

"Perfect, that's what I was aiming for. I suppose I should be heading off," she said, looking at the clock on her stove. She put on a pair of black flats while sliding into a brown peacoat and doing up the four gleaming buttons. She wrapped a cream coloured scarf around her neck and finished by untucking her hair. She and Luna said their goodbyes.

"And Ginny," Luna added, "don't start with Firewhiskey, it makes you foul mouthed," then she disapparated with a soft _crack. _Ginny stuck her tongue out to the empty room before following suit, twisting through space and time for a disorientating moment before finding herself outside at the end of a village lane surrounded by softly illuminated buildings on either side of the route.

She breathed in the cool, familiar night air of Hogsmede and made her way towards the Three Broomsticks, stuffing her hands in her pockets as she regretted not bringing gloves. The walk was short and Ginny couldn't help feel a sense of amazement as she looked at the completely normal edifices. When Voldemort had attacked the school, he'd made sure to leave the town in ruin as well. His followers had succeeded in nearly burning the whole village by the time the battle had come to a close.

It was a true testament to the spirit of those involved when volunteers around the country set forth to restore the town and castle to their former glory. Almost as if it had never happened. _Almost..._ she thought with a shiver. It had been a long time since she'd revisited the town or castle. A lot of bad memories swam just below the surface.

The Three Broomsticks was quiet, the absence of children off from school made such a difference. The warm, welcoming pub was identical to the one she'd frequented as a child, so much so that if she'd not been one of the few to put out its burning remains she might never had known it was a reconstruction.

She breathed into her hands before rubbing them together to regain some of the lost heat before scanning the few occupied tables for her date when a voice called out from across the room.

"Ginny, over here!" she turned to see Dean sliding out of the seat of his booth to come meet her. She was almost shocked by how pleased she was to see him again. They shared a friendly embrace before he helped her out of her coat, hanging it up for her like a perfect gentleman.

"Dean Thomas, it has been too long," she beamed, settling into her seat.

"Tell me about it, I could hardly believe my luck meeting Luna at the office like that. I mean, it was obvious she'd take over the Quibbler after her father, but I just didn't process it while I was going in," he explained, falling into easy conversation. "So, can I get you something to drink?"

Ginny had to consider for a moment, Luna's parting words echoing tauntingly in her head. "Yeah, I suppose I fancy a butterbeer, what about you?"

He looked at her sceptically and she suddenly grew concerned, "Are you serious? A butterbeer, Ginny? I meant a _real _drink!" he said laughing and she couldn't help join him. She had to give it to him, Dean was definitely a more sporting drinking companion than Harry had ever been. "It's either a round of Firewhiskey or water. None of this on-the-fence nonsense."

"You got me," she said, shrugging her shoulders in defeat, "only so long as you tell Luna I tried to be good."

Dean winked at her before sliding back out of the booth to head up to the bar. Ginny could barely keep the smile off her face as she realized that this was a very good idea.

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><p>"Come in," Albus Dumbledore called in response to the knock at his office door; his expected guest was right on time. The heavy door opened soundlessly and Dumbledore rose to greet him. "Remus, how do you do?" he asked with a congenial smile and a knowing flicker in his gaze.<p>

Remus Lupin offered a welcome handshake and chose the seat opposite his former Headmaster and employer. "All is well on my account, Albus," he replied easily, eyes glancing around the room.

"Amazing, is it not? Last you were within these walls much was still in ruin," he said softly, though Remus need not be reminded. His memories served that purpose well enough. There was a short appreciative silence before Dumbledore got straight to the point. "I am glad you've come, Remus, for there is much we must speak about. And I understand that you have a few issues of your own that you'd also like to bring up, is this correct?"

Remus didn't even blink in surprise. Albus Dumbledore had always had a knack for knowing more than he was told. "Indeed," he replied simply with a quirk of his lips.

"Good, good," he returned with partial distraction. "Tell me, have you been keeping up with the news of these attacks on the muggle and magical communities?"

"Yes, I have," even in his travels through Scotland he'd made sure to stay in contact with post owls, "though I've taken what I gathered from the Prophet with a grain of salt."

"You would be unwise not to do so. I gather Kingsley has had the opportunity to fill you in on some of the more disturbing details, yes?" he asked, grabbing a yellow candy from the bowl on his desk and popping it into his mouth. He pushed the bowl towards Remus as an offering, but he raised a hand in polite decline.

"He told me about the children outside the towns," wishing almost guiltily that he had never heard.

"As you've noticed, the Ministry has so far decided not to release such details to the general public."

"Well, it would certainly not do for those in power to have the story of murdered, desecrated youths plastered on the front of every page of their newspaper. Not if they want to keep the people at bay," Remus added, having already spent much thought on this very topic.

"It would certainly not do for the new developments discovered in the Godric's Hollow attack to be released either," Remus' attention was absolute. He had not spoken with Kingsley since the article had been published late last week and he'd had no other way of knowing the intimate details. Obviously, by Dumbledore's tone, there was something significant to be found. "Five of the children from the town are still unaccounted for."

Before Remus could even speak again he had to take a moment to consider the revelation. He voiced the very first thing that came to mind, "They could still be alive then," he thought aloud with a hint of question.

It was Dumbledore's turn for a grim pause, "Whatever purpose Voldemort has for these children I fear that death would mayhap be kinder." Remus' heart clenched in private agreement with the older wizard.

"You will also perhaps find it curious to note that every one of the missing children came from older magical families. Muggle and muggle-borns alike were left to burn," he finished, watching his guest's reaction.

_Blood lines, _Remus thought speculatively, _there's something significant in the blood lines... but what? _"It may be a message to the half blood and muggle-born communities. Voldemort's entire purpose is based upon the one ideology of pureblood superiority."

"Though he himself is a half blood," Dumbledore added and Remus returned his comment with a nod. "Kingsley has offered an alternative thought. It would seem that Miss Weasley has been studying these attacks most... obsessively." It took much of his will to keep his expression straight. Ginevra Weasley was very much one of the topics he'd been meaning to discuss.

He'd been thinking of her situation frequently of late. They'd been in contact by owl over the last few weeks since she'd first made the confession of both of her dismissals, and he knew her well enough to sense her miserable restlessness.

Ginevra had never taken idleness well.

"Kingsley believes that her theory on Voldemort's purpose may very well start leading us in the right direction. She's adamant that the attacks on the towns are directly related to the murders of the children. The segregating them from the rest of the inhabitants and burning the bodies as a means of removing evidence from what had been done to them before their deaths suggests a gruesome intention. But whatever it is they've been looking for, it seems they'd not found it until Godric's Hollow."

Remus didn't need to even consider the theory to see how well it fit together. A thought struck him. "The very first town had been entirely muggle residences, was it not? They didn't touch the magical community until the third. Perhaps it wasn't until then that they realized that what they needed couldn't be found within non-magical children?"

"Voldemort would have certainly begun with the muggle population, he has such little regard for their lives," he added, "And now has five children at his disposal, a fearful thought, is it not?" It most certainly was.

"Ginevra figured this all out by herself?" Remus asked suddenly, amazed. With so few pieces revealed, to even get that clear of a picture was a true testament to her speculative dedication.

"Yes," he answered pensively, "Kingsley thinks very highly of her as an Auror. She sees things with unclouded eyes and acts with an unhesitating courage. Her potential is endless and for one so young, to have proven herself so many times over..."

"Yet neither you nor the Ministry seem to feel that it is in your best interests to put her endless potential to any use," Remus replied in a frosty tone. This was _precisely _what he'd been meaning to question his old mentor about. Ginevra's dismissal still sat coldly in his mind as he struggled to find any sense in it. He was satisfied to see a look of unease gracing the Headmaster's features.

"Things are more complicated now than any of us would like to believe. There have been whispers, rumours in the dark," Dumbledore began cryptically. Remus, impatient for justification, managed to hold his tongue. "Miss Weasley, or rather _Agent _Weasley has managed to make quite the name for herself, within the Ministry _and _without, on her last assignment. Not all who hear the name Weasley think on it with amicability. She, daughter of the largest family of blood-traitors in Britain, just dealt a devastating blow, near singlehandedly, to the Death Eater's economic structure. They are not going to want to let her forget it. Especially with the added connection to the Order, she's going to be walking around London with a target painted on her back."

"And your first instinct was to temporarily cut all ties from her?" Remus replied incredulously. He'd never before been so close to doubting the man's sanity.

"Tell me, Remus, do you really think that it would be in her best interest to make herself even more of an object worth their attention? So far they have yet to seriously move against her, but that will change the minute her being a Ministry official and person of interest to the Order is outweighed by their need to have her silenced. Right now, her superficial position in society is protecting her; it would attract too much public interest and sympathy in the incapacitating one, Auror Ginevra Weasley. If they move too soon, people will not be so ready to support the Ministry once it's fully corrupted. Though we've seen before that they are not beneath abducting an Auror," he added significantly.

"Edward Donahue," Remus supplied and Dumbledore nodding, continuing.

"Interesting, is it not," he began in a curious tone, "that of all the Aurors he could have gotten his hands on, one with an intimate relationship with Miss Weasley has gone missing?"

"You're not suggesting that he was sought out because of their seeing each other?" Remus questioned in disbelief. "He was taken months ago, long before they would ever have reason to be interested in her."

"There are many things to consider," he replied vaguely. "We can't make any assumptions of where their true motivations lie. Whether they saw the connection between the two or not previously, they certainly will have drawn out every bit of information within him by now. It's difficult to not believe that they would find the more... personal information as something to their advantage. It may be the only thing keeping him alive now."

"You actually believe that he could possibly still be alive?"

"What purpose would it serve them in disposing of his body anonymously? There's no logic behind it. The risk in his capture would far outweigh the minimal, _minimal_ gain. It would not be difficult for them to realize that even the information they do peel away from him could be just as easily gotten through their Ministry spies, infinitely easier I would imagine," he reasoned grimly. "No, there is a darker purpose at work."

Remus had nothing to say. His mind was working hard to absorb it all. He felt a deep unease make itself a home in the pit of his stomach. Dumbledore could sense the weight he was placing on his former student and most trusted friend, and he couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh.

"The truly dark times have yet to pass, Remus. I fear they are now upon us," he confessed, "and we are not ready." He fixed Remus with a penetrating gaze. "Things are going to start happening that will decide all of our futures. Their players are set but we're still looking for all our pieces." Remus was not sure he understood the heavy significance that he was putting on his words.

"I am old, Remus. That much, at least, I am sure you have ascertained for yourself. I have seen generations of some of the greatest witches and wizards of this time grow and fade before my own eyes. These hands here have duelled more than one Dark Lord in their respective time," he waited for a beat to make sure that Remus was following the point he was coming to make, "but I have no false expectations that I am going to continue on forever. And there is no desire within me to deny Death his due, though I may have once, but never again. A final place of rest for my weary bones seems to me a gift when I look upon the fractured existence that Tom Riddle has chosen for himself." He stopped his speech and waited for Remus to ask the question that he could see resting just behind his lips.

"What are you trying to say to me, Albus?"

"I'm saying that it is time for me to take precautions against the certainty of my mortality. When I pass, whenever and however it should happen, Minerva shall take over my full responsibilities as Headmaster to this school while Kingsley takes charge of the Order. Both fit decisions as I am sure you would agree. But Kingsley's position in the Ministry and the one he will take on within the Order will leave him at a state of vulnerability, much as mine has been to me with this school. He's provided me with invaluable support and resources at the many times when I could not put them forth myself. He will not be able to take over leadership of the Order without first filling the place that he leaves empty," he explained and suddenly his meaning became clear.

"Remus, when I die and am succeeded by Kingsley, it is my will that you become his second, as he was to me."

Remus' mouth hung open for a moment while he tried to sort his feelings into words, "You can't be serious in thinking that I am so capable as to fit the task?"

"I find you the _most _capable," he replied unflinchingly.

"But I..." Remus began, completely at a loss, "There are so many others who would be able to offer those invaluable resources that Kingsley has provided for you!"

"Do you truly believe that I would ever consider a decision as significant as this without first weighing all the variables and possibilities? I am a wise man, Remus, and I have always tried to say so with the utmost modesty. I know that your trust in me has always been absolute, and right now you are doubting. But your uncertainty lies in the lack of trust you place in yourself."

He could feel the honesty in Dumbledore's words, and yet he could still not find comfort in their message.

Dumbledore watched Remus' face contort in disbelief. He felt a deep pang of regret for the man he'd known as a boy. Throughout the prejudices he'd suffered over and over again his own evaluation of himself had been unfailingly shaped. For someone so honest and well-intending to be feared and hated for a part of himself that he hated and feared just as much, it would be impossible to not be effected. But Dumbledore needed him to push aside those self-instilled doubts.

Changes were happening quickly and unpredictably; they all needed to be ready.

"Think on it, you need not come to a decision now for there is something more pressing I must ask of you." The look of uncertainty did not quite quit the younger man's eyes, but he sat upright in his chair at attention.

"It would seem that after this latest attack, Voldemort's plans are that much closer to fruition. The entire country is going to be filled with speculation and prediction. But I am more interested in what is being said in London, Britain's magical and economic center. Also where Voldemort had established his own centralized location. Right now, those supporting their Dark Lord, whether Death Eaters or mere sympathetics, will be boasting of their leader's progress and eager to show off their superior knowledge of what is truly going on. What I need now is for you to keep both ears to the ground for any news of what he plans to do next. You will likely need to get in touch with any of your contacts that are still in town, reacquaint yourself with the social circles unfriendly to both the Ministry and the Order."

He need not explain further. During Voldemort's last rise to power Remus had actually volunteered to fulfill much the same role in the original Order. Having not been able to accomplish any employment in a public capacity due to his affliction, it had been the only thing that made sense.

He threw himself into it, wanting nothing more than to help as much as all of his friends were able and having had so many difficulties finding a way how. It was always so ironic to him that the groups that accepted and trusted him more for being a werewolf were the ones which he was deceiving. It was hard to suspect someone of his dual nature to be a Ministry spy when the Ministry would have nothing to do with those like him.

"Of course," he accepted without a second thought, once again desperate to help the cause, "admittedly most of my old acquaintances are locked up in Azkaban or dead. I'll see what those who are left have been hearing of late."

"The London underworld will be humming with rumours now. Sift through what you can, I'm not entirely confident that you'll learn any greater truths. Voldemort was always a cautious man, despite perhaps the irrationality in his actions. More often than not though, news travels faster by mouth than by the press and as we've both seen, rumours are generally built upon grains of truth."

Remus nodded in agreement; any student in a school full of teenagers could tell you much the same thing.

"For now, that is all. It is getting late and the full moon draws close. You will be needing your strength," Dumbledore stood and Remus followed suit. "I would like to thank you for coming tonight, Remus. I understand the loss that this castle must symbolize for you."

"Not at all, Albus," Remus replied with a heavy modesty. Had he received an owl at four in the morning, he would have been no less accommodating to the older wizard's wishes, to the man he owed so much to.

"You are a good man, Remus," Dumbledore offered with a look of determined sincerity. "Think about my first request most seriously these next few weeks for I fear the day is coming when we will no longer have the luxury of indecision."

They bid each other farewell and, at last, Remus parted from Dumbledore's presence. His feet, having long ago memorized the paths of the school, took over while he sorted through the jumble of thoughts imparted onto him. In his opinion, Kingsley Shacklebolt was the most irreplaceable man in the fight against Voldemort, besides Dumbledore himself.

But he, he was an anonymous. A follower, someone to fill a seat at meetings and give their reports for someone higher to decide what to do with them. If not for his utmost regard for Dumbledore's wisdom and geniality, he may have suspected his leg was being pulled. The more frightening revelation was that he knew that wasn't the case.

_He actually believes that I am the most capable for what this position requires, _Remus realized in awe. _But if he can see value in me being the one to take it, why am I having so many troubles finding it myself? _He tried to berate himself for sounding so pathetically miserable, but his enthusiasm was waning. He'd never been particularly adept at shaking off the pessimism that had clung to him throughout childhood.

Had it not been for Tonks he would have lost himself under the weight of it all after Sirius had been murdered. _Nymphadora... _he thought with a deep pang. The years had dulled the ache that was left when he lost her, but the unseen scars still remained.

He stopped himself suddenly in front of the Great Hall, catching a brief glimpse of the clear night sky through half closed doors. His original plan had been to take the East passage out to where he could catch one of the carriages back to Hogsmede, but he readjusted his course and headed South out to the school grounds. It had been five years since he'd set foot on the grass of Hogwarts, five years since clearing away the bodies of his dead companions and since he'd been told that Tonks was among them. His thoughts turned black as he recalled the look on Arthur's face as he'd come to find him.

He'd known it then, even before Arthur had spoken the words, he knew that she was gone.

He exited the castle into the cool night air, watching as his breath escaped in visible clouds. He stuffed his hands into his jacket, wishing suddenly that he would have brought gloves. Making his way across the silent yard, he appreciated the way the moon in its waxing gibbous phase illuminated the scene.

The tiny pricks of light coming from his destination could be seen across the plain by the lake. He'd seen pictures of the monument splashed across every paper for the better of the month after it had been erected for the war casualties, but he'd never had the heart to visit it himself. Too many of the lifeless flames bore the names of those he'd cherished.

Remus reached the tree at last, amazed by the minute detail and care given to its realism, even down to the texture of the bark. From its bare, white branches hung forty seven burning lanterns, one for each life extinguished. Remus walked around for a while looking to each of them in turn. He recognized a number from his year teaching. _They would all be near Ginevra's age had they survived... but they were just kids. _Finally he found the little light that was all that was left of Nymphadora Tonks. He stared up numbly for a long while at the only shred of recognition to her sacrifice that was left.

"I miss you," he confessed helplessly to the empty world about him.

The tree had a sad majesty to it against the still lake which mirrored the night sky. Remus made his way right up to the statue, noticing that the artist who designed it went to extreme lengths to make it as lifelike as possible, even carving out roots that sank under the earth. On impulse he reached out a hand to run his fingers over the textured bark, and felt a delighted surprise as the stone under his chilled digits was not cold as he'd expected but warm, as if heated from within.

He stayed out there alone with the lanterns for some time before heading back to the castle with a heavy spirit. His venture had left both his mind and body numb. He flagged down a Thestral driven carriage and as it carried him to the small village, he wished with all his heart that he could not see them.

By the time he reached the warmly lit lane that was the majority of the village, he felt in terrible need of a social connection and a drink. He walked towards the Three Broomsticks, unable to truly believe with his eyes how seamlessly they'd rebuilt the place.

The door to the pub opened suddenly and a wash of soft light spread across the road. He heard the faint sounds of laughter and loud conversation drifting from inside as someone stepped out.

There she was.

He could hardly believe his eyes when they fell upon Ginevra Weasley as she stood alone outside. Almost immediately he felt a spark of emotion return to him; he could not name a single person at that moment who he'd more enjoy speaking to. He increased his pace and readied to speak up and announce his presence when someone else called out to her.

"Ginny?" a male voice asked to the air. A tall, dark man stepped out the door, throwing his shadow across the street.

"Over here," she replied, moving away from the wall she'd been leaning on. Remus stopped where he was, transfixed with curiosity and the lack of wanting to meet anyone else. The wind picked up so their voices were lost but he saw the young man, who he recognized as a former student and able dualist at the Hogwarts battle, offer up a cream coloured scarf to Ginevra. He saw her laugh as he wrapped it around the back of her neck. She smiled charmingly as he pulled her closer.

Even from the distance, Remus could tell she'd been drinking. Dean, he remembered suddenly, leant in and pressed his lips to hers.

Remus turned away for a moment before hearing Ginevra big him goodnight. He heard the soft sound of her Disapparating before he turned back around to see Dean staring at the place she'd been with a pensive smile on his face. In another instant Remus was standing in the road by himself once more, feeling more alone than he'd ever been.

**TBC**

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><p><span>Author's note:<span> Sorry about all the dialogue that was this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it all and that it helps to further develop the characters and story. Remus showed up finally, he's definitely not going to be as neglected as he has been, I should like to hope. Ginny's dating again, things might get interesting. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it. Until next time!


	7. The Report

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the wonderful world of Harry Potter. If I owned Remus Lupin or Draco Malfoy… I would have better things to do than write fanfiction ;).

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><p><strong>Chapter Seven<strong>

Ginny's sleep that night was an uneasy one. Shadows from the past drifted through her subconscious landscape.

_Haunting echoes rent the hazy night air with the anonymous screams of another corpse joining the rest. Black smoke from the ruins around filled her eyes and lungs while she tripped over the indistinguishable bodies of friend and foe alike. Spotting the broken shatters of a blood spattered Death Eater mask next to a student's school robes, Ginny bit back a sudden sob of the repressed terror in her throat. She couldn't tell the student's house as blood made all the colours dark and wet. She didn't have time to pause and take it in, but as she continued on, she could no longer look down at the figures lying in the churned earth, too fearful to catch the lifeless open-eyed gaze of someone dear._

_There was no one left moving about the remains of the inner courtyard save for her, yet she still continued, searching desperately for survivors. Weaving unsteadily between the fallen blocks that had been the school's walls, Ginny feebly managed to keep it together. She had poor grasp of her bearings in relation to the rest of the battle that could be heard farther away; her ears still rung from the force of the recent explosion that had gone off. Her arms bled from the superficial scratches of being thrown to the ground, but she couldn't feel them._

_The metallic taste of corrosive magic stuck to the back of her throat. __It was a byproduct of the school's wards having been abraded._

_She caught the soft noise of rubble shifting unexpectedly from her left. She spun around, seeing the faintest cloud of dust drifting above where the rocks had slid; a morbid silence hung in the air while Ginny sensed for the first time that she was not alone. Someone was near, shielding themselves from her sight._

_An icy knife of fear slide through her chest._

_Her breath was still ragged from the labours she'd fought to stay alive. In front of her she held her wand up defensively, arm shaking furiously from the strain her body had yet to recover from. Her enemies were older, stronger, more experienced, and entirely without mercy. She soon found out that she had to push her magical abilities way beyond their healthy limits to even just keep up. She didn't know if she had enough in her to save herself from a renewed attack which is why she sought so desperately for any of her allies._

_There was another disturbance in the loose rubble, only this time back around to her right. She turned quickly and pressed her vulnerable back against a nook in the fallen part of the wall; she wouldn't let herself be exposed another second longer. Pushing herself as tightly between the cracks of the wrecked stonework, she tried to take a few deep, quieting breaths. Her heart was pounding in her throat as she willed herself not to whimper with every gasping inhale; her throat felt just as battered as the rest of her._

_Sweat and blood dripped down her creased brow but she did not move to wipe it off, for even the slightest shifting would give her position away... if she wasn't already being watched._

_She stayed in that crevasse for some time knowing just what sort of terrible things awaited her if she were found. Suddenly from somewhere near came the sound of subtle Disapparation; the preventative wards around the grounds had been torn through shortly after the initial fighting had begun. Even after the immediate sense of being alone fell upon her, she stayed put, mistrusting. It wasn't until waiting those long, nervous minutes of discomfort spent pinned between the uneven stones as her heart pounded against her eardrums that she felt certain that there was no one left prowling the area._

_The silence hanging about remained uninterrupted and the adrenaline started to quell along with most of the tremors in her body. Ginny slipped out of her sheltered space and began to conjure up the magic to stem the blood flow from the superficial cut on her hairline. If called to fight again, the wound would be a dangerous distraction for her vision._

_Too late Ginny sensed the presence to her left. Her eyes didn't have enough time to see anything but the man's figure with her periphery before hearing the hiss of an Unforgivable._

_"Crucio!" he exhaled, sending white hot pain tracing its way down every exhausted nerve in her body. She was entirely consumed by the fire that was the Cruciatus Curse._

Five years later with many kilometers between, Ginny's eyes snapped open and her mind was freed from the prison of her memories. She pressed a hand to her warm forehead to feel the trace of perspiration that had passed from dream to reality.

_Hogwarts hasn't come back to me in so many months, _she considered disconcertedly. Long ago there were weeks at a time where she couldn't close her eyes without hearing the screams of her past. The shock of reliving that particular moment from the battle was enough to momentarily blur last night, especially when she looked back at how much Firewhiskey the two of them had imbibed.

She shook off the dark feeling that tried to cling hold then tore the blankets off to haul her post-inebriated self to her bathroom and clean off last night's makeup. She used a wet face-cloth to clean up her smeared mascara then gave her whole face a wash treatment. She sat on the lid of her toilet contemplatively before deciding that she was too dehydrated and unmotivated to draw a bath. Especially after spying that it wasn't even noon yet and she was always willing to take advantage of the recovery-time luxury that being temporarily unemployed offered.

Ginny couldn't help smile to herself when she thought of last night's date with Dean. He'd been funny, charming, and certainly nostalgic the whole night through and was a perfect gentleman about her heading home early. She'd drank much more than intended, but all in good spirit; she wasn't so eager to let herself get in as messy a situation as last time she'd been in an indulging mood. They'd planned to meet up next week for a second date and Ginny couldn't help imagining the smug expression that would grace Luna's face when she told her.

Heading out of the washroom in her boxers and a backwards tank-top, she was determined to not waste her day and make a refreshing caffeinated brew. She came to a full stop though when her eye caught a glimpse of something decidedly alarming. She found herself face to face with the wall across the hall from her apartment through her open front door.

Her Auror instincts kicked in with built-in immediacy as she threw herself back into her room, launching onto the bed and clawing a hand under her pillow for her wand (where she'd been keeping it of late). She rolled herself off the bed, grogginess of the morning forgotten as her adrenaline shocked her into alert cautiousness.

Ginny wasted no time in casting a quick spell to check for any concealed presences in her apartment, feeling a renewal of that sick sense of vulnerability her dreams brought to the surface. _You are certainly, probably, most likely overreacting, _she considered realistically but was not foolish enough to put down her guard. _It could have just been a robbery, _she hypothesized hopefully, knowing full well that her wards hadn't been updated to include muggles when she moved in. A fast scan of the room told her that this was probably not the case as her television and video player rested forlornly by the pile of junk stuffed in the corner.

Her collection of movies and records had not one out of place save those that she'd been too disinterested in returning to their proper cases.

She finally made her way to the offending entrance of her home with an awful realization that her cat was most certainly roaming about the building on top of her living space being broken into. She stepped into the hall wand first, looking right to the two closed doors of her neighbours: Michael, a young man studying Architectural Design at school in the city and an empty apartment that used to home an old French couple. The husband had passed away a number of months ago and the wife moved back to France to be with family. Neither apartments looked particularly conspicuous.

When she looked left towards the stairs she felt a pang of relief to find Napoleon sprawled across the floor in obvious delight at his freedom. He gave a pathetic _meow _of affection upon seeing his mum out in the hall with him. He padded over to her, happily rubbing against her legs before she bent over deftly, scooping him into her arms. As she walked the few steps back to the apartment she briefly considered knocking on Michael's door to ask if he'd heard anything last night or early in the morning but it wouldn't amount to much. She knew from experience he didn't have class or work on Thursday and often spent the weeknight elsewhere. On top of that, she really did not feel comfortable involving him in whatever she seemed to find herself a part of. She closed the door behind her and dropped her squirming companion onto the back of the couch. He jumped off and scooted straight over to his food dish.

Now, feeling secure for a moment, Ginny began to take a closer look around her place for any clues. She was a little surprised and quite disturbed at how quickly she found them. _If they really wanted to go unnoticed, they would have done to close the door behind them, _she figured. The small table next to her bedroom door was covered in framed photographs of her family and friends.

There was one of her, Luna and Colin by the lake in their fifth year next to an old picture of her mum and her uncles, Gideon and Fabian as kids. Uncles she'd never met as they'd both been killed in the First War. It always struck a tragic chord in her mind at how like Fred and George the two of them looked there, identical grins of mischief and all. These pictures were both dear to her because of the time they represented, a time before loss. In front of these was another with her, Kati Bell and Dean pilling on top of Ron when they'd won the Quidditch Cup in her fifth year replacing Harry once more as seeker. There were a number more memories captured behind frames but her hand reached out to pick up the only one not still covered in a light layer of dust.

Her fingers grazed over the cracked surface of the glass.

As soon as she saw the image, her suspicions about the intruder were confirmed. It was a shot taken of her on the night of her graduation from Auror training. She had her arms wrapped around the shoulders of her two beaming companions who laughed as she struggled to stay on her tip-toes; even in heels Harry and Edward were still inches taller.

She remembered the night well. Edward had taken her out for a midnight meal after the small ceremony at the Ministry and he confessed his feelings to her. She'd been so surprised at first having never suspected he'd developed anything more than platonic over the few months they'd become friends. As such, she'd never looked at him in that light up until then.

There was no coincidence in that particular picture being broken, just as there'd been none in finding his ring hung on her door. _The message is here, _she was certain, _I just don't have enough pieces to put a picture together. _She put the photograph back to the dust free place where it had been sitting all along and headed into her room. She slipped into a pair of jeans and grabbed a hoodie up off the floor before realizing that her closet door was pulled open.

Remembering how she'd hung her dress on the closed closet handle before diving into bed, her stomach clenched at the implication of her defencelessness. Whoever it had been inside her apartment stood exactly where she was, watching her as she slept. Had she been attacked, even with her wand within arm's reach, she would never have had time to cast a spell, to do anything. A cold shiver spread across her body.

Heading out to her living room once more, Ginny wasted no time grabbing a pinch of floo powder and lighting her artificial fireplace that had been connected to the floo network first thing when she moved in. Kneeling down in front of it she tossed the powder in and enunciated very clearly "Ron Weasley's Office" before seeing the flames turn green and feeling her head spin through space until it emerged in her brother's fireplace at the Ministry. Miraculously, he was alone.

"Ginny?" he called from his small, cluttered desk. "What's up?"

"Someone's broken into my apartment," she replied frankly, cutting to the chase. Ron stared at her nonplussed for a comprehending moment before standing and closing his door.

"Are you alright? Have you been robbed? Were there signs of forced entry?" he began in interrogation, stopping at the look his sister gave him.

"My door was wide open when I got up this morning, but not a thing's missing so far. There's proof of their presence around the place though; someone was definitely inside."

Before he could get a response out of his thin lipped expression someone was knocking at the door. "Agent Weasley?" for the faintest of dim moments Ginny wondered incredulously how they'd known she was in there. Things get confusing when most of your family works in the same building. "It's Kenneth from downstairs. I just wanted your approval for the report we're doing on your team's involvement in the Raefferty case before I sent it up to Scrimgeour."

"Hold on," Ron said to Ginny quietly before standing up and opening his door. She couldn't see this Kenneth from her position, but heard the muffled conversation between them. Her brother closed the door and came back to his chair. "I've got to take care of this, Gin, but I will be over in less than half an hour to take a look around. Any break-in of an Auror residence is supposed to be reported and we should make sure all your wards are still stable." He gave her one last fleeting look of concern before he was gone.

"Fine with me." She sat with her bum on the hardwood floor, legs stretched out in front. _I don't want to be here, _she realized, _not here, not this building, not even London. _But there wasn't a single place else she could even think to be. _I used to have a say in my life, now it's 'stay where you are and I'll be there in five minutes.'_

She let herself keep feeling like a sad cow for one more lenient minute before giving herself a sharp pinch on the leg.

"Coffee," she exclaimed to the empty room, "I need coffee." She got up, emptied the previous pot before brewing another. After brushing her hair and teeth, she changed into something that was the proper way round.

Fifteen minutes later she was tapping her fingers on the counter, nails just long enough to _click _impatiently. Each minute lasted an hour, her fourth mug of coffee doing nothing to ease the restlessness. _Merlin, I could use a cigarette, _she thought guiltily, having given them up two years ago.

"Only muggles would make something that can kill you so addictive," she had more than once commented to Remus when they lived together. She'd picked up the habit after moving out of the Burrow when she began to spent more time at muggle bars with a few of her coworkers after a night shift.

At first she tried to keep it hidden from most people since it was considered such a stigmatized habit in both worlds, and more importantly didn't want someone like Remus to accidentally go and tell her mother (the worst of all possible worsts). It wasn't until one night when she came home a little worse for wear and asked him if he had a smoke that her cover was blown. The even bigger shock was when he pulled a pack out without thought. The gig was up for the both of them so they kept each other's dirty secret safe between themselves.

After moving out and having no one else to be her partner in crime, Ginny slowly weaned herself from the devilish little things while starting her new fitness regiment for the Auror program helped to keep her motivated.

She was in the middle of changing Napoleon's water when a knock at the door caused her to slosh half of it on the floor. She muttered a curse and mopped the mess up with her socked foot before going to let her brother in.

It was no surprise that he'd brought another agent with him as was protocol when investigating a breaking and entering, especially when a witch's or wizard's wards may have been potentially compromised.

"Ginny, this is Agent Cole. Cole, this is my sister, she's one of Kingsley's." Ginny took the hand that was offered.

"Not at the moment, though," she added, offering them drinks; both declined politely. _More for me, _she thought heading to her kitchen and pouring her fifth.

"Cole's going to take a look at your wards right now and you can walk me through what happened this morning," Ron began professionally and Ginny had to admire the calm in which he was dealing with an obviously personal situation. Cole took his leave of them and began quietly casting spells around her door to verify her home's protection.

"I got in around one last night, headed straight to my room and passed out as my head hit the pillow," she explained as a preface to her morning's discovery.

Ron gave her a deeply searching gaze that made her squirm. "Where were you coming home from?"

Normally she'd say something crass and tell her brother to butt out of her business but exceptions could be made. "I went out for drinks with Dean Thomas, if it makes any difference."

For a moment his expression lightened and Ginny sensed that he probably would have preferred asking how his old dorm mate was getting along, but he restrained himself tactfully.

"How much did you drink before coming home?" he asked with a hitch in his voice that he had to clear his throat to get rid of. He foresaw the scathing look his sister had been sure to give him.

"Don't you start with me," she retorted, tone suggesting he ought to proceed with caution.

"Is it at all possible that... well, that," he tripped over his words, trying to make his next point as inoffensive as possible. "Is there any chance that you may have left your _own _door open?"

It was a testament to Ron's backbone that he did not quail under her withering glare.

"Being off work for three weeks hasn't made me incompetent, Ron. I still know how to evaluate a bloody breaking and entering, alright?"

She saw Cole's eyes shift over to their conversation for a moment at the raised voices, but they were back on his work in a flash. For a split second her paranoia bristled to the surface as she wondered whether this stranger was one of Fudge's men or not.

"I know, Gin, it's just―

"Look," she interrupted with sudden weariness and longing to get this over with, "I apparated straight into my apartment when I got home. I locked the door before leaving. Luna was over earlier but my wards are adjusted to let her come straight in so she didn't use the door either. Before my going to bed and my waking up this morning someone was in here."

Ron nodded in acceptance and belief and Ginny knew that he got the point: she was not an average citizen.

"Let me show you what else I found," she continued and Ron followed her over to the pictures. She didn't point it out immediately, letting him scan over them all himself. His eyes flickered over the familiar scenes and old family shots until they found what was amiss.

As he stared at the offending damage, the furrow in his brow deepening.

"Of all the pictures…" he mused to himself.

"Of all the pictures," she reaffirmed, sharing with him a moment of consideration.

The both of them jumped when Agent Cole's voice cut in. "Everything's intact Miss―Agent Weasley. There's no sign of corruption in any of your wards' makeup," he announced, having finished his inspection.

"The only ones who could've come in without disrupting them are muggles or anyone I've cleared to bypass them," Ginny explained. Really, other than her immediate family, that list was a short one. _Only Luna, Neville, Hermione, and Harry… and Ed._

"They could have gotten in using muggle techniques to pick the locks. Merlin knows Fred and George found it easy enough," Ron offered but Cole just shook his head.

"The wards you've got in place are Ministry grade, nothing so simple would allow you to pass through them, even if you did manage to open the door," he explained.

_And who do we know who has recently acquired an uncanny familiarity with Ministry wards?_ Apparently by the look on his face, Ron was coming to similar conclusions.

"Well―

A knock at the door killed the words on her lips.

"Are you expecting someone?" Ron voiced when his sister failed to react.

"Are you?" she returned, that sick feeling in her stomach causing the hairs on her neck to stand on end. The knock came again, a little louder. She inched her way over.

"You should really get one of those little spy holes," Ron offered from behind her.

"So it would seem," she replied in a cool time, having deduced that some time ago.

"Ginevra?"

"_Dad?"_ Ginny and Ron exclaimed with Cole looking between them in amusement. She quickly undid the latch and welcomed the man.

"They told me I would find both of you here," he said in greeting, bending down to give his surprised daughter a kiss on the cheek.

"Not that we aren't simply delighted to see you dad, but what are you doing here? It's a stretch to imagine you were given leave to visit your most beloved child in the middle of the day," she replied, closing the door behind him. Ron gave a snort of disbelief behind her. She really hoped her father hadn't simply gone AWOL for an early lunch. The Weasley name wasn't garnering an awful lot of good credit within the Ministry of late.

"Did you really think that when news of an Auror investigation into my daughter's home, led by my son, reached my ear I wouldn't feel compelled to drop by to make sure everything's alright?"

Of course she didn't.

"Well it seems that you haven't had the pants robbed off you yet," he established after a glance around. "You're lucky your mother isn't here, you're a bit of a slob my dear." Ron gave another snort.

"Ginny, dad, Cole and I have to head back to the office and get the paperwork done on this. I'm going to put in a request to have your wards upgraded. There doesn't seem to be much else to do here but speculate," Ron explained with a tone of regret. Ginny understood, they didn't have anything so far to go on and staying would just be a waste of their resources.

"Glad I could catch you before you left, son," he gave Ron a squeeze on the shoulder. "Say hello to Hermione for your mother and I."

Ginny thanked them both sincerely for coming. Her and Ron shared a silent understanding that they would talk again soon. There were definitely more personal variables to the situation than either of them felt at liberty to discuss in front of Ministry or parental officials. She knew Ron would never bring an Auror to her home that he did not have faith in, but these were times of war and corruption. Now more than ever Ginny was beginning to suspect that she was somehow involved in something much deeper than she first believed. _Why am I starting to trust this feeling that time is running out?_

Ron and Agent Cole flooed back to the office and Ginny put it on her mental list to buy more powder the next time she was out.

"Coffee?" she asked, already knowing his response.

"I would love some," he replied with a weary smile, taking off his patched and faded cloak to hang it by the door. The Weasley children all had a varying appreciation for coffee, but none as devoted as Ginny. It was something passed directly from father to daughter since Molly preferred tea over it one hundred percent of the time.

She brought him a cup with one cream, knowing from many early mornings just how he took it, and then sat down opposite him on the couch after moving a pile of papers and some of her books.

"How are you doing?" he asked, leaning in and taking the warm mug in both hands. It felt like ages since the last time she'd actually spoken to her father, feeling a sudden guilt at the realization that she should spend more time with both her parents.

"Oh, I'm alright," she began, "just a little off-kilter after this morning's episode," she admitted with a half smile. Her father paused while blowing softly on the hot beverage; his gaze was a steady one across the mug.

"How are you doing financially? Two months without pay can be hard on anyone."

She opened her mouth with the same reply on hand that she'd given to her friends and brothers until it clicked and she could only gape. Her guilt plummeted down below sea level as she realized that she'd yet to tell her parents about the suspension. As much as she'd been avoiding it at the time, she fully did intend to share the unpleasant news with them. With all that happened between then and now, she basically forgot. _I'm going to kill the twins if it was them..._

"Not my fault, I―

"Life intervened?" he finished. Ginny groaned her agreement and sank back into her seat.

"Doesn't it always?" she wondered aloud and he gave a chuckle.

"Your mum and I worry about you, and I know that we can often get on your nerves and mum can be a bit… suffocating," they both shared an experienced grin, "but we just want you to be as happy, as healthy, and as safe as possible.

Ginny wanted to cry; she felt like the most ungrateful daughter and wanted very much to reassure him that she was going to be alright.

"I know how much you care, but I'm going to make it through. Plus, you know I'd be over for mum to feed me before I ever managed to let myself go hungry." This was a universally acknowledged truth for all of the children. "Did mum flip out when she found out?"

"I haven't told her," he confided and Ginny sat back up in shock.

"Why not?" was the first thing she blurted out.

"Ginevra, I have nothing but faith in you. You're a smart girl, a smart woman I should say. You've more than earned your right to an independent life without your parents trying to influence it. I know that you know how much we love you and we know you're not afraid to come to us for help should you need it."

Ginny scooted over to sit beside him and wrap her arms around his shoulder, giving him a sideways hug. She squeezed him tight. Even as kids he'd always been such a strong support. "Thank you," this was something she'd been needing of late, someone to just show their confidence in her, especially with everything happening to make her doubt it in herself.

"And don't worry about Harry either," he said unexpectedly and Ginny groaned once more.

"Oh Merlin, what has mother been saying now?"

Of everyone in her life, she largely suspected her father was the only one who didn't believe her and Harry were destined for one another. She remembered the first time she ever confessed those thoughts herself to him and he'd smiled and encouraged her to act on what she believed deep down. Not to take others' intuitions above her own.

"She's under the impression that Harry's merely bringing this girl around as a ploy to make you jealous," he explained with a chuckle at the noise of indignation coming from his daughter.

"Will she not just drop it? The poor boy…" she trailed off, sympathetic to Harry, and her mother's meddling.

"He's probably just as at odds with the situation as any of us. He's always had a lot of feelings for you, dear."

_Yes, and it only took five years of my infatuation for him to figure it out, _she thought perhaps a mite unfairly.

"I know, I know. It's just been almost six years… how much longer am I going to have to wait for him to be able to put this in the past?" she moaned glumly. She really wished she didn't sound so much like a schoolgirl complaining about a boy in her class, but that's the situation that Harry always managed to put her in.

"He's doing his best," her father replied with uncanny insight. Ginny didn't doubt the truth in this but only that Harry's best was clearly not doing either of them any good.

There was a comfortable silence as the two of them took long synchronized draughts of their coffees, letting out a shared sigh of exhale.

"I heard something interesting in the office last week," Arthur began in a meaningful tone. Ginny turned to look at him suspiciously. _What else have I done?_

"It seems someone has put in a request to reopen Edward's file." All trace of humour fell from Ginny's face.

"And?" she asked, trying hard to conceal her desperation to hear more. Neither Ron nor Kingsley had given her any information regarding their progress or lack thereof. It was driving her mental.

"Fudge refused to sign off on it. He said that as none of the missing persons cases involved in Death Eater activity have turned up, we would be wasting valuable resources when we're already stretched so thin."

Ginny clenched her mug so tightly her knuckles turned white. _Not thin enough to suspend an Auror for doing their bloody job though, _she fumed. The bubble of hate threatened to steam out of her at the injustice and helplessness that her government's corruption placed over them all. _No wonder Ron had nothing to tell me. _

"Merlin, would I ever love to curse that smarmy bastard halfway to―

"Ahem."

"Sorry, but I still mean it," she concluded, quelling the fire that burned in her eyes.

"It seemed strange to me that after so many months someone would be this interested in spending more time with this particular case, wouldn't you agree?" Even without any of the facts, he could still sense her involvement. Had it been any other topic she would have smiled at her father's unfailing intuitiveness.

"Maybe something's come up," she offered vaguely, feeling even worse for now concealing the truth from him by omission. It wasn't exactly lying, but certainly felt as bad. Especially when she caught eyes with her loving, concerned father.

"Perhaps," he replied positively and she forced herself to appear no more than mildly interested. He always had the ability to see through her bullshit but he was not one to press the subject. If his daughter had anything to keep from him that was her right. He only hoped that the feeling in his gut telling him that she was involved in something much more significant was simply paternal paranoia. Even as an independent grown woman, she would never stop being his little girl.

"Well dear, now that I've seen you're safe and sound, I ought to return from my lunch," he explained with a mischievous smile. As they stood to embrace, he gave their surroundings a critical glance. "And speaking for your mother, you might want to consider tidying up around here. You never know when someone's going to leave your front door open."

"Thank you, dad, but I like to think of it as a robbery deterrent. Who wants to come in a deal with this nonsense?"

"Don't you ever have people over?"

"Luna's over every now and then but I generally spend time over round her and Neville's. Otherwise my guest list is a bit diminished of late. Though, if you must know, I went out with Dean Thomas last night."

"Ah yes? Dean was always a nice boy."

"He's a very nice _twenty-two_ year old boy," she elucidated.

"Well maybe you could have him round for dinner sometime," he offered and Ginny made a great effort to rearrange her expression into one of consideration before snorting in disbelief. "Maybe not?"

"I think I'd have to wait for a second date before bringing him before the tribunal," she replied, giving him a consolidating pat on the shoulder.

"Fair enough," he laughed, and they gave each other their farewell hug. "Have you talked to Remus much since he's been in town?"

Ginny pulled back a little thrown off. "A bit, I haven't exactly been up to a whole heck of a lot these days, my social calendar has been looking quite grim."

"He was asking after you last time we spoke," he admitted as a forerunner to the point he was so clearly coming to make. "I think being back in London has made him quite lonely. There are a lot of old memories wandering around town." No one needed to tell her that. "You and him were always close when you lodged at Headquarters. Maybe send him an owl or drop by and see how he's doing, get out of here for a bit. It's not like you've got much to do yourself these days either."

Leave it to her father to tell her to call on a man twice her age.

"I suppose I could make time to get out of my apartment every once in a while," she affirmed as they moved towards the door for him to put on his coat.

"So we'll be seeing you next Sunday for brunch, yes?" Ginny restrained her groan.

"I'll see if I can fit it into my schedule," she replied and he gave her a cheeky wink before Apparating back to the office.

Realizing for the first time that morning just how famished she was, Ginny headed straight to the fridge for some appetite therapy.

Upon opening it she noticed immediately that her contents had been pilfered: bread, milk, butter and cheese were all absent. Breaking in her home was one thing, but taking her food? It was more than her composure could handle.

"Bloody thieving bastards!" she screamed, slamming the door shut and giving her fridge a good kick which she regretted at once. Napoleon looked up from his food dish.

"What?" she grumbled furiously and he went back to ignoring her. She looked to the clock and couldn't even believe it was only half past noon. _So it's going to be another one of these days... _

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><p>"Your incompetence never ceases to amaze me."<p>

"S-sir?"

"He was supposed to be followed day and night, and was never to make contact so soon. Are you telling me that you were not aware of your singular purpose in this simplest of tasks?"

"We were aware sir, but―

"_Crucio!" _

The sounds of writhing and screams filled the otherwise silent hall until the caster lowered his wand and broke the curse. Heavy panting filled the air while desperate murmurs of apology and mercy from those who remained on their knees rang out nervously.

"If word reaches me again from the Minister about Ginevra Weasley, I will have your eyes and teeth torn out. Now get out of my sight."

The three men in cloaks rose off their knees and dragged their incapacitated companion out with them, each more thankful than the last that such lenience had been shown for their near disastrous folly.

**TBC**

* * *

><p><span>Author's note:<span> This was quite a painful chapter to right just because so little essentially happens. Sorry about that, by the way. Since this is going to be a longer story I've got so much to set up, character relationships and development, I want to start getting some background into the Battle for Hogwarts and Ginny's role... lots of important things, yes yes. Anyways, now that school is done until September, it is my optimistic view that the story's going to start getting a move on. And Remus is going to show up a considerable amount more... It's been hard leaving him out, but I want things to progress naturally and realistically! But that's enough about me, thanks for the continued interest, guys! I'd love to hear feedback from you all. Nothing like a review to make even the most blocked writers stretch their imaginations!


	8. The Second Date

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the wonderful world of Harry Potter. If I owned Remus Lupin or Draco Malfoy… I would have better things to do than write fanfiction ;).

Author's note: sex in this chapter, story's finally warranting its M rating! Hopefully, none of your delicate sensibilities will be terribly offended.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eight<strong>

"Fourth Floor: Spell Damage," the chipper, bodiless voice informed as the lift came to a smooth stop. The doors slid open. Ginny stepped out by herself and walked down the familiar hall where she used to work. She made her way past the closed patient doors and headed to the ward desk to talk to one of the healers in their lime-green robes.

"I'm looking for Peyton Dunn," she explained to a young girl with bleach blond hair held back in a messy braid. Ginny didn't stay to chat as she may have with one of her past mentors; instead she headed to the room the girl gave her.

She knocked lightly on the open door with the back of her hand before walking in.

"Weasley!" the familiar, gruff voice of her team member called out in genial greeting.

"Peyton, how the hell are you feeling?" she demanded, walking over to his bed with a great big smile plastered on her face.

"Right as rain as you can see, bloody eager to get my sorry ass out of here. Finally letting me go tomorrow afternoon," he explained, folding the copy of the Daily Prophet in his hands and resting it on top of a precarious pile of books on his bedside table. She'd missed Dunn. Of all her coworkers, he was always the one with the strongest spirit. Even now, weeks after being literally tortured he sounded just as unconcerned as ever.

"Kingsley mailed me to tell me as much, figured I should pop by and see said arse before they whisk it away to the bowels of monotony."

"Merlin, I'm going to be pushing quills for a week... or until they can't handle another minute without my limitless potential. Whichever comes first."

"You're so full of it," she smirked, sitting herself down at the end of the bed.

"Kingsley and Johansen were in earlier this week," he paused and something in his easy smile faltered. "They told me about your meeting with Scrimgeour and Fudge's verdict. It's total bollocks, everyone knows it."

"It's not me who needs telling." She'd had the past three weeks to stew on that.

"I had Kingsley send in the transcript of my official record that night as defense for you but―surprise, surprise―nothing came of it. Sadly," he started in a miserable drone, "I'm the only one terribly grateful for you saving my life it seems, and I _am _grateful," he added, more soberly. "No matter that I don't remember much, I know what our odds were like and I know you came after me when the others wouldn't."

"I'm sure you would have done the same for me," she considered and then added, "but doubtfully anywhere near as successful."

He gave her a queer smile. "I'm not so sure that I would've. You've got steel, Weasley... and you're absolutely mad. Breaking into a Death Eater hideout alone and unarmed might seem like blind arrogance to some, but look at us: safe and relatively sound." From her spot on the bed she could see the faint trace of scars creeping out of his shirt collar. It made her stomach churn at the implications made by the St. Mungo's team being unable to completely repair the damage. _If Bleams and Green hadn't shown up when they did, who knows what would be left of us now._

"Between you and I, Weasley, it's people like you who make the rest of them so anxious." This was an unexpected turn in the conversation, a retrospective one that she wasn't entirely comfortable with.

"What? People who apparently can't take orders?"

"People who haven't got a price, more like."

She opened her mouth in hopes of something intelligent coming out, but had nothing. She had a sneaking suspicion that he thought a lot more of her than she deserved. Luckily, another light knock at the door cut in. She turned over to see an older woman in pale blue robes with a purple scarf next to a younger girl in school robes. The girl gave a small wave into the room.

"There you two are," Peyton called out to the beaming pair. "Come in, come in! There's someone I'd like you to meet."

Ginny tried her best not to make a face.

"Mum, Lisa, this is Ginevra Weasley," he introduced when they approached.

"Mrs. Dunn, it's a pleasure," she intoned, offering her hand. To her absolute surprise the woman's eyes began to brim with tears as she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Ginny in a tight embrace.

"Thank you, thank you so much for what you did for my boy, I don't know what any of us can do to repay you." Ginny finally managed to relax her stiff, unexpecting posture and pat the overwhelmed woman on the back. Lisa, presumably his younger sister judging by their familial similarities, rolled her eyes in bemusement. Ginny had definitely not been expecting this 'get to know the family' time... _At least it wasn't a surprise introduction to his girlfriend. _The questions that would have arose...

"Mother..." Peyton reproached humorously and she finally let go. Mrs. Dunn took a kerchief from her pocket and wiped away the near-fallen tears.

"Didn't think I'd see you today," he directed to his sister and she grinned.

"Well I talked to Professor Flitwick about the sad, sad story of my Auror hero brother getting out of the hospital so Dumbledore gave me the afternoon off. Used the floo in his office and met mum here. So, thank you brother dear for getting me out of double Potions."

Ginny had to chuckle and could tell Peyton was too. He'd been four years ahead of her in Ravenclaw, though she hadn't known him then, but they both found it terribly comforting to know that no matter how many years later, there would forever be students buggering out of Potions class with Snape. Mrs. Dunn gave her daughter a reproving glance.

She stayed for another ten minutes to chat politely and in that brief span of time she learned more about Peyton Dunn's life than she'd accumulated over the past year she'd worked with him. His mother and sister were more than accommodating in sharing their favourite embarrassing anecdotes of him so it was no surprise he was relieved when she took her leave. She gave him one of those awkward bed hugs and headed out of the room.

"We'll go out for drinks one night with the rest of the crew!" he called after her and eliciting a laugh.

"So long as they're on you!" she exited the room to the sound of sniggering. It was good to see a family as close and supporting as theirs but she needed to get out of there lest her feigned chipper attitude crumble into her natural cynicism.

She walked back past the desk where the blond receptionist barely flicked her eyes up. She considered asking if Wendy, her old supervisor was in, but found herself out of the building with as few delays as possible.

The lift opened as soon as she walked over to the door, much to her approval. She scooted past an older couple arguing in Italian and stood beside a flamboyant wizard in magenta robes, an orange and beaded beard with matching sunglasses. She could have sworn she caught him checking out her own hair, but the tinted glasses made it uncertain.

"Third Floor: Potion and Plant Poisoning," the lift announcer informed. The arguing pair stepped out into the floor, arms gesticulating to each other as they continued in aggravated tones, or so Ginny thought. _For all I know they could be talking about the weather._

The doors closed leaving her and the man in sunglasses to move apart and take up the rest of the room.

"Second Floor: Magical Bugs." The doors slid open once more and three goblins in their Gringott's uniforms stepped in speaking gobbledygook in hushed, hurried voices. She knew from her brother Bill and personal experience that goblins did not take kindly to witches or wizards putting their eyes and noses where they obviously didn't belong. As such, she faced both down the hall waiting for the doors to close.

Undeniably, she was curious as to what could have possibly happened down in the vaults to bring goblins to the hospital; they usually relied upon their own forms of magic and medicine before ever seeking wizard aid.

_Not your business, not your business... _she told herself firmly when her curiosity started to get the better hand and her eyes began to creep. It was at that last distracted second when the woman at the end of the hall turned to the side that Ginny finally recognized her.

Her instincts didn't wait for her brain to catch up as her wand was out, tapping on the doors to stop them from closing. She excused herself as she slid out of the lift, nudging past the shorter of its occupants.

"Rosaline!" she called in a high, honeyed voice thick with feigned delight. It gave her a sick satisfaction to see the surprised look of guilt bloom over her pretty little face. "Fancy running into you here."

"Ginny!" she greeted loudly with an overcompensating smile after recovering, "What brings you to St. Mungo's?"

It was all she could do not to give the woman the most condescending of eyebrow quirks. Her act of unaccustomed politeness was not fooling Ginny.

"Oh, I was just visiting a colleague of mine up on Spell Damage, what about you?" _Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend? _Ginny beamed charmingly at her sister-in-law and the tall handsome man at her side. A man who was so very much _not _Percy Weasley.

"My uncle―" she started, but her companion made a soft noise in the back of his throat and she corrected herself. "_Our _uncle has contracted a severe case of scrofungulus," she explained. It was Ginny's turn to be shocked.

"You're cousins?" she blurted, her friendly façade temporarily cracked.

"Close enough," he replied in a silky tone. A languid smile stretched across his smooth features. Merlin, she hated that smile.

Rosaline looked between them, finally feeling compelled to bridge the heavy silence. "Ginny, this is Blaise―

―Zabini, isn't it?" she interrupted, giving him an acidly sweet smile, pearly whites and all. She couldn't resist making Rosaline squirm with discomfort. She was making up for her ruining her brother's and Hermione's happy announcement. His only reaction was a quizzically amused quirk of the lips. He had no doubts as to the game she was playing and apparently he knew how to play too. "You graduated a year ahead of me at Hogwarts."

Rosaline opened her mouth to interject but her newly established relation beat her to it. "With your brother, if I remember well," he added with the perfect pretense of cordiality.

"Now that I think about it, it's been then since I saw you last… if _I _remember well." She fixed him with her most accusing stare.

Zabini's name was amongst the many pureblood Slytherin families who did not show their support for the Order's cause on the battle field. They didn't fire so much as a single curse for either side. Ginny hated the cowards more than anyone. Without the proof of their complicity in Voldemort's open move against Dumbledore, no charges would hold and the Wizengamot was forced to clear them all.

Even as a teenager Ginny was astounded that Fudge could allow something so obviously detrimental to the country's recovery to pass. And that's exactly what happened, all those families who followed the pureblood supremacy ideals escaped unscathed, reaping all the benefits of the war. Never declaring open support for their Dark Lord, they were able to contribute money and influence to rebuild Voldemort's regime. It was their resources that were responsible for the success of the safe-houses.

Consequently, a significant number of these families wished hers in particular to come to a less than timely end after her and her brother's involvement with the restrictions on their Gringott's vaults. She couldn't help finding something terribly wrong with this revealed acquaintance between the Weasleys and the Zabinis at such a time, especially one that had been, up until now, so conveniently concealed by her brother's dear wife.

_I don't like the way you're looking at me, Mrs. Percy Weasley, _she chided silently. Her sister-in-law would never try to act so warm and pleasant unless she was trying to make the most innocent of impressions.

"I've been leading a busy life, Weasley," he countered with a lazy drawl that reminded her so much of his mate Malfoy she had to restrain herself from jinxing him on principle.

"I will assume you mean me," she returned, "and not your lovely cousin Rosaline." The subtlest of affronted blushes crept onto his dark skin. It must be difficult for him to call his own family by such a blood traitor's name.

She stared deep into his hazel eyes as if to say 'I know you. I know what you are and I'm sick to death of you and all your type.' His facial expression read that he heard her loud and clear and had no problem with that.

"Forgive me for having to run," she began again in her cheery, flippant tone. There wasn't much of a reason to stay and chat, especially since she was not particularly fond of anyone in her present company. She'd found out why her brother's wife was hanging around with known Death Eater supporter and it was certainly something she wanted to stew over later. "I have a hot date to get ready for and a cat to feed."

She gave her extremely flustered sister-in-law an unaccustomed air-kiss on the cheek just for the uncomfortable affect she was sure to cause. _This is too much fun. _"Say hello to your husband for me," she turned to her old schoolmate, "and I do hope it won't be so long before I see next." _Sharing a cell with your chum Draco is how I like to imagine. _

She turned round back the way she came without a second glance, her face melting back into a neutral, perhaps pensive, expression. At that very moment she had no doubt that her brother's wife was hiding something much more significant than her family tree. _And I am determined to find out what, _she promised herself, _but first…_

* * *

><p>"FLOCKHART'S GOT HOLD OF THE SNITCH!" The stadium erupted in the deafening roar of ecstatic fans. "ANOTHER WIN FOR THE GORGEOUS LADIES OF THE HOLYHEAD HARPIES!" The crowd was going wild at this unlikely comeback. The Falmouth Falcons had been a hundred points ahead only thirty minutes ago while the Harpies struggled to gain ground. It wasn't until Mickey Smith, the Falcon's Beater was thrown out of the game for cracking Helena Tyler, the Harpies' captain, on the back of the head with his bat that any change towards victory occurred. She fell twenty feet to the sandy pitch bellow where the medi-witches on scene levitated her off the field. At first the crowd was screaming for blood, assured now that the team's last hope for recovery was being spelled out of the stadium on a stretcher. It wasn't until the Keeper, Marlene Kirk took over for Tyler and completely reorganized their strategy that they saw success.<p>

Two hours later, seven goals scored and numerous butterbeers drank, Ginny was on her feet hollering with the rest of them. Accidentally sloshing some of her drink on her dates lap, she swooped down to press an uncharacteristically enthusiastic kiss on Dean's bemused expression. He wasted no time in pulling her to sit on her lap to deepen the affection with much appreciation.

After all these years since Hogwarts he'd never harboured any belief that him and Ginny would ever become a part of each others' lives again. Only once after they were separated did he ever consider renewing his emotions to pursue her again. After the assault on the castle and all the traumas experienced, he'd had the chance to spot her wandering off by herself.

After You Know Who's retreat when everyone left standing was desperate to find comfort in anyone and everyone left dear to them, Dean could not comprehend that she would not be seeking her own comfort in her parents and six brothers. He made to follow after but was halted. He watched as Harry made his way towards her. Harry Potter, the only one she'd ever truly given her heart to, took the hand of the only girl he'd ever seriously cared for. They talked together for a brief moment before continuing on their way. In those brief seconds he accepted that she was walking even farther from his reach and was not likely to ever walk back.

_And yet here she is, _he thought, bringing his mind back to present, happy circumstances.

People started filing out of their seats, all chatting excitedly about the match just witnessed. Ginny traced her tongue over his bottom lip teasingly before pulling away. He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and she returned a seductive grin before leaning in to whisper.

"You owe me five Galleons," she purred, still humming with the thrill of the game and having won the bet on its outcome. She felt him chuckle beneath her. She leaned back and joined in his laughter, wondering curiously where her usual self-consciousness had gotten to. It was not like her to express such forwardness, especially on a second date. It had been months since she'd last been with Edward and Dean was the first she'd allowed herself to go out with since. She was disarmed at how comfortable she already was with him. _Just like old times..._

"Dinner's on me?" he offered and she gave him a peck. They stood to follow the exiting crowds out of the stadium and even Ginny couldn't resist the temptation to go over―in detail―the exceptional plays by her most favourite team. She needed no encouragement. Dean was just as eager to dive into Quidditch strategy as he'd been when they played together at Hogwarts. It truly was like old times.

They made their way through to the Apparition pavilion where Dean grabbed her hand and they side-along apparated into muggle London.

Less than an hour later they found themselves sitting on the back of a red, double decker bus, stomachs satiated with the pleasure of extra cheesy pizza.

"Luna's birthday is this weekend," Ginny began suddenly, having just realized that she hadn't invited him, "and we're all going to go out club hopping in London for fun. Luna's just been dying to go out dancing since coming home from their honeymoon."

"Sounds like a good time," he said, looking genuinely interested. _Wonderful, _she cheered, realizing gratefully that she wasn't going to be the only singleton present and therefore would not have to suffer through Luna's attempts to match her up with any and all unattached males in the whole of muggle London.

"I would love for you to come," she beamed. "Actually, I'm sure everyone would. Neville, Ron, Hermione and Harry will all be there as well as some of her coworkers."

"Well it looks as if my weekend schedule has just filled up," he shrugged, "but only because you've asked me so nicely." She gave him a pinch for his cheekiness.

The bus rolled to a quick stop and Ginny rose to her feet unsteadily, not used to the uneasy movements of motorized vehicles. "This is my stop," she informed, "though if you would like to come up for a nightcap, I suppose it's yours too," she winked and hopped off without looking to see if he was following. She led him up the two flights of stairs to her floor where they crossed paths with her floor mate, Michael.

"Hey, Ginny," he stopped to greet with a smile locking his door behind him.

"Off to study?" she asked, noting his backpack full of books.

"It's that time of year," he replied with a grimace then turned to smile at Dean.

"Dean, this is Michael, he lives one door over. Dean and I used to go to school together," she introduced vaguely. The two boys shook each others' hands amicably.

"Well I'd best be off folks, I've a date with a stack of unruly books tonight and will likely be out late," he winked. "It was nice to meet you, Dean. I'll see you around, Ginny." And off he went.

As soon as he was gone she whipped out her wand and opened her door.

"You've got quite an attractive neighbour," Dean noted with a poorly concealed smile and Ginny made a face.

"I daresay his boyfriend would agree heartily with you!" she replied over her should as she made her way to the cupboard to grab two glasses.

"Ah," he said as response and she couldn't help but laugh at his male competitiveness.

She pulled a bottle of scotch from her freezer and turned to ask how full a glass he'd like. She was surprised to discover his unexpected proximity. She hadn't heard him come up behind her. She had to look up to meet his eyes and in them she saw a most impassioned expression.

"I'm glad for him," he breathed in a deep and sultry tone. Ginny felt the heat of her face spread to the rest of her body. It was with great approval that she responded to his mouth pressing onto hers, parting her lips to his awaiting tongue. All the playfulness from before was quickly forgotten, replaced by hot desperation. His arm found their way around her waist as hers reached up to run a hand through his short, coarse hair.

He stepped forward, his body pressing into hers as she leant against the counter until Dean's hands grasped her sides and lifted her to sit on the counter's top, heights now more evenly matched. Her legs lifted naturally to wrap around his own hips, pulling him in closer. Dean moved his hands down to her butt as her breast pressed against his chest. She could feel his excitement growing in his jeans as she tightened her grip around his waist.

"Bedroom," she gasped as his lips traced a hot trail down her neck. She moaned softly as he lifted her off the counter, the bulge in his pants rubbed against the hot crease in hers. He carried her into the only other room of her apartment, letting her down on the edge of her unmade bed. She spared a second's thought of delight at having cleaned her apartment the other day.

She pulled her mouth away from his again as she gripped the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head, having to pause for a moment to admire his gorgeously sculpted physique, one he hadn't had the chance to grow into when they'd last been unclothed together. He basked in her hungry gaze before advancing upon her. She lay back on the bed, undoing the button on her pants so that he could slide them off her. He ran a hand up her smooth, exposed skin and she shuddered as the cool air touched her legs.

Ginny fumbled with his belt as he held himself above her, knees resting on either side of body. He slid a hand under her shirt, massaging her sensitive breast through the thin material of her bra. Belt unbuckled, she released the button of his jeans and drew down the zipper as he shucked and kicked until his pants lay forgotten in a heap on the floor with his shirt.

"You don't seem to be playing fair, Miss Weasley," he growled, pulling her own shirt up over her head as his mouth took over where his hand left off. His tongue traced seductive circles around her raised nipple as she exhaled with a heavy breath. His hands worked to undo the bra as her hips pressed up against him. The flimsy material of his boxers did little to conceal his lively endowment.

Bra discarded, he set to work freeing her panties from both legs. For a moment she felt a squirm of discomfort as he knelt over her, appreciating the sight of her naked body beneath him. It had been months since she'd been so intimately exposed with another person.

At last, he shed his boxers and their bodies joined together. She ran a hand over his muscular chest, taking special care with his dark nipples as their tongues melted together once again. He positioned himself between her legs, ready to make the final move. She could sense his restraint, knowing he waited for her to take the absolute initiative. Eager to please, she guided her lips over him and with her permission, he slid into her with one ultimate thrust.

She moaned in ecstasy as they fell into an even paced rhythm. Ginny had forgotten how much fun this was.

Dean increased his pace as their sweaty bodies clung inseparably to each other. She was getting close to finish and could feel him nearing it too. His rhythm picked up, bringing them both to the edge. He released into her with one final thrust while Ginny cried out in anticipated climax. They lay together for some time, her arms wrapped tight around his naked back as they both breathed heavily in sync with each other.

He lifted himself up on his elbows, face inches above hers. She raised a hand wordlessly to his warm cheek as he grazed a finger across her sweaty forehead, relieving it of an unruly strand of her crimson hair.

"I've waited years for this," he whispered and she smiled.

"I've been playing hard to get."

"Got you now," he leant in for a soft kiss before rolling off her.

They stayed in bed for the better part of an hour, sharing sweet words and old memories, laying together as if the world outside ceased to continue without them.

"I'm famished," Ginny admitted finally, lifting herself off his chest and getting out of the bed. She could feel his eyes on her as she walked round the room to pick up her robe. She threw it on with naught else, tying the sash loosely around her hips so that it just covered her naked breasts. It hardly was enough to conceal her nude rear, but they were a bit past the point of shy modesty.

She left the bedroom and returned to the kitchen where she returned the unopened bottle of scotch, swapping it out for a tub of double chocolate chunk ice-cream. She returned back with two spoons and noted that Dean had donned his boxers once more. He was sitting up against the headboard and his face split into the most brilliant smile when he spotted the container. The two spent the rest of their evening getting chocolate wasted before both passing out in an exhausted, full bellied coma.

* * *

><p>It was not yet seven in the morning when Dean pressed his lips to her forehead. Her eyes opened a crack to see a fuzzy image of him standing before her dressed in last night's clothes.<p>

"Guh?" she asked slowly, unable to comprehend the concept of a six o'clock of the morning variety. "Wha's th'matter?"

"Gin, I've got to go. I work at eight and I still need to head home to shower and change," he explained quietly. She nodded along to everything he said, desperate to fall back to oblivion, not even able to resist if she tried. The last time she woke up before eleven was in a hung-over stupor in a, at the time, stranger's bedroom.

"G'bye, don' let th'cat out," she slurred before her eyelids dipped back down and her consciousness drifted away.

It wasn't until nearly eleven thirty when she opened them again, feeling fully refreshed. She stretched out her whole body under the covers, feeling pure bliss at each joint that cracked. She sprawled out like a star, covering her whole bed before wondering where Dean had gotten to. The hazy memory of his departure surfaced slowly as a dopey grin crept onto her face.

Things had taken a slightly different direction than she'd intended last night, but she didn't have a single regret. Usually she would berate herself for going so far so fast, but she knew Dean. After all these years he was still the same kind, respectful and _well toned_ guy she'd shared a part of her life with. True, she hadn't meant things to go the way they had, but she'd simply gone with the natural flow of events. _He most certainly didn't do anything I hadn't wanted him to. _A flashback of his magnificent torso came to mind and she had to bite her lip. _We just took up where we left off. _

She vaulted out of bed in a more wonderful mood than she'd been in for months. She threw on a pair of underwear then retied her robe's sash, which she'd slept in. Grabbing the empty ice-cream container and dirty spoons, she headed out into the kitchen to make herself a breakfast of champions. She put on a pot of coffee then raided the fridge coming to the sad realization that she'd have to do the groceries of champions if she wanted to get elaborate, but her hunger won over.

She grabbed two slices of bread, two eggs and some butter then got out her biggest frying pan. She put the butter on the pan, letting it simmer while she cut a hole in each slice of bread. Once the butter melted, she threw the bread on the pan and cracked an egg into each hole, savouring the soft sizzle of food frying. She threw a dash of dill on each egg and tossed the left over circles of bread on the pan as well. After flipping them and waiting a few more minutes, she grabbed a plate then set herself down in front of her television.

_Yum._

She put her cup, plate and utensils in the full dishwasher then turned it on, after which, when the sink was plugged, she turned the tap on hot, squirting some dish soap on the few leftover dishes. Just as she was spelling her brush to start scrubbing them clean, she spotted an owl flying towards her window. She undid the latch and let it fly straight into her apartment. He perched on the back of one of her kitchen table's chairs (the table she used for everything but eating).

He stuck his leg out professionally so that she could untie the tight scroll strapped to him. After getting it free she gave him a little scratch and fetched him a treat from one of her drawers. She tossed it to him and he caught it in his beak. She noticed Napoleon sitting politely, though greedily, on the floor in front of her so she tossed him one too. His just struck him in the face. She shook her head. "Stay a moment," she said to the owl and he gave a _hoot _of what she assumed was understanding. She flopped on her couch to read the note.

_Ginny,_

_Things are going well; it was great to hear from you. Life's been pretty uneventful these last few weeks, admittedly. I've been working nights a lot so I've been dead to the world most days. I would definitely love to get together soon. I'll probably be sleeping all day Friday and Saturday, but if you drop by Saturday night I'll be in. Anyways, I hope things are going well and you aren't going stir crazy. Maybe I'll see you this weekend._

_RL._

Hearing back from Remus put her in an even better mood though she was disappointed at not being able to see him this Saturday as she'd be out dancing on the town. She understood from his message that he'd been doing something for Dumbledore and the Order, most likely spying or recruiting if his past missions were any indication. It was best not to put any explicit details through the post though; you never knew who might be checking.

She scrawled a short reply, asking if they might take a rain check then sent the owl off with her letter.

Time to do something productive.

Ginny went to put some clothes on to go for a run. She'd been neglecting her workouts lately, too lethargic to leave her apartment and still paranoid from her last one. Though, admittedly, her paranoia had a very legitimate foundation. She'd had quite enough of stalkers, creepers and souvenir leavers to last a lifetime.

She did a more intensive stretch routine than she usually would, having taken such a long break from her last exercise. She stuck her wand to the outside of her right thigh with magic, just in case. _Now stay out of trouble, _she commanded herself, with every intention of listening. The only problem was, sometimes life gets in the way.

It wasn't long before she could feel the telltale signs that someone was tracking her movements again. For once she wasn't surprised by the turn of events and decided to play it calmly. It was broad daylight in the middle of a park in muggle London and she was pissed off. _I am going to take you down, asshole. Come at me. _She felt no fear at their proximity because whatever their intention, it was clear that, for the moment, they weren't trying to hurt or kill her.

They could have done that when she was passed out in her bed, completely defenceless. She had also come to terms with the fact that whoever left the ring and broke into her apartment was most definitely the same person following her, or at least following the same objective. _Whatever that is..._

The closest she got to identifying them though was catching the subtle distortion in the air that her training had taught her to looks out for which signified a Disillusionment charm. She led them to a secluded place in the park so that there would be no observers when she cast magic, but by the time she turned and flicked a stunning spell at the shimmering area, they disapparated. Her fury was so palpable at having once again failed to secure a single answer that she nearly accidentally set a tree on fire.

Deciding that enough was enough and that she was going to take more aggressive actions to put her own situation into her own hands, Ginny apparated straight to the Ministry's visitor entrance. The red, broken down telephone booth was found on a dingy street with several shabby offices, a pub, and a wall covered with graffiti. Nothing out of the ordinary to implicate its importance.

She stepped inside the booth façade, punching 62442 on the phone pad before the disembodied welcome witch's voice asked her name and purpose. "Ginevra Weasley: personal," she replied into the receiver. A silver badge popped out with her information and the inside of the booth began to sink downwards. It had been years since she'd come in this way, but times being what they were, this was her safest route.

As the small box descended into the ground she did a quick evaluation of her situation and quickly realized it would be in her mission's interest to cast a glimmer on her ponytail, making her hair look an entirely unremarkable shade of brown instead of her Weasley red. With what she was up to, she didn't want anyone to spot her, including her friends or family.

Once the lift opened she stepped out into the Atrium where witches and wizards were flooing in and out of the walls lined with fireplaces with great bursts of green flames. This level was always busy with every-way traffic, no matter what time of day, so Ginny was reasonably confident she'd walk through unnoticed. There were a lot of weirder and more conspicuous characters mulling about than a girl in a nondescript jogging outfit. She made her way to the set of golden gates near the end of the hall, beside which the visitor wand registration booth was located. After waiting in line for a while she gave her wand to be processed by Mr. Munch.

He returned it to her without a second glance, though for a brief spell she'd held her breath in anticipation. It was easy to assume he wouldn't know the faces of each and every Ministry official in the building, but you never knew. He _was _their front line security, she considered before smothering a private snicker. She'd always thought his was one of the most redundant posts in the whole government. Off she went.

She passed through the gates to catch one of the many lifts. It was her sense of good fortune that afternoon when she caught an empty one, stepping in and pressing the button to go down to the next floor. "Level Nine: Department of Mysteries."

She poked her head out first, knowing it would definitely not do to be found lurking around down here, but as usual, the hall before her was quiet on all fronts. Seeing the door in front of her leading to the Department of Mysteries, she veered left instead, down to Level Ten, which couldn't be reached by the lift. She tiptoed past Courtroom Ten, shuddering as she peaked in and caught a glimpse of the forlorn, infamous shackled chair in the center of the vacant room. She could hardly even conceive of how many fates had been decided in that seat. How many innocents like Sirius had been condemned to mortal damnation while the evilest of them like Lucius Malfoy were permitted to walk free. She shook herself out of her reverie; her purpose lay farther on in the Records Chamber.

Ginny was in and out in ten minutes without encountering another soul. The Ministry of Magic held the records for every British magical citizen along with every family's heritage, dating back to some of the oldest, purest bloodlines in the country.

Most of the files she wanted were easy to acquire, them not being high priority individuals and therefore wouldn't be stored with those under limited access. Those few higher status persons or families would need explicit permission from no one lower than a Head of Department for her to investigate. Otherwise, her Auror clearance allowed her to remove any others not under security. If she were caught at that moment though, things would not bode well for her.

Whilst on suspension her access clearance was revoked and had no authority to pull anyone's file which was exactly why she didn't bother signing her initials in the official logbook. And as a rule you weren't generally allowed to take any of these files out of the Ministry building, though in her office it was common practice. Either way, if she were caught she would certainly suffer more unpleasant consequences than a slap on the wrist and three months off.

When she got back into the Atrium, she crossed straight to the nearest fireplace and flooed straight home.

She settled herself down on her couch, spreading each file on the coffee table for her easy perusal. Napoleon sauntered over, sprawling himself down over them as she sat back and opened the first.

_Rosaline Weasley, born Rosaline Edith Caspian on November 12th… _

**TBC**

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><p><span>Author's note:<span> Sorry for the long wait, this chapter was originally going to be twice the length but I realized it made more sense to split it into two chapters that are the same size as the others. Also, if her sneaking into the Ministry seems a little rushed that's because it was. When the two chapters were still together, I was trying to trim the plot in the most forgiving of places, but I've tried to beef it up for when it's posted. Hope you're enjoying it! The next chapter's the last real character development piece before the action picks up! Stay tuned for the next few days because Chapter Nine will be out soon as it's already basically done.


	9. The After Party

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the wonderful world of Harry Potter. If I owned Remus Lupin or Draco Malfoy… I would have better things to do than write fanfiction ;).

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><p><strong>Chapter Nine<strong>

"OI! If you gits make us late, I'm going to hex you back to the Dark Ages!" Luna shouted at the group of them all from several paces ahead. Ginny was amazed at her friend's ability to power-walk in those three inch purple stilettos.

"Luna, it's not even eleven, you cow! I'm about to break my ankles here!" Ginny shouted back, trying hard to keep up in her own treacherous heels. If she hadn't seen the way Dean couldn't take his eyes off her elongated legs while she was getting ready she may have chosen practicality over vanity. _Alas..._

That was how they found themselves on Saturday night, rushing through the streets of London in their best muggle clubbing finery. Luna and Neville had invited people to drop by for cake and cocktails before their night out on the town, but one thing led to another and cocktails quickly became shots and high heels were not conducive to speed-walking after shots. _Unless you're Luna, _Ginny cursed at the blond up ahead. Luna had made a point of forcing them to go out early because she wanted to get on the dance floor before her blood had turned to alcohol.

"I'm thirsty!" she screamed, throwing her arms in the air to emphasize the point, eliciting several disapproving glances from the innocent pedestrians minding their business on the sidewalk.

"Is that it up ahead?" asked Hermione, the only one of them who was sober. As they got closer, the sign made itself clear that they were less than a block away from the Chameleon Lounge.

"Land ho!" Neville bleated with immense relief and Luna turned around to beam.

"I told you it wasn't far," she announced proudly, slowing at last to a reasonable pace. Ginny caught up with her and linked arms.

"You're lucky, girl. I'm freezing my arse off," she muttered and Luna snorted.

"Why the hell do you think I want to get there so fast?" she confided, both of them giggling. Neither had chosen particularly weather resistant outfits. Luna was wearing a short, floating purple number with large sunflowers patterned all over it. She paired it with black tights and long gold chains around her neck to go with the purple headband and sunflower she pinned magically to her up-do in a very Luna style.

Ginny's own dress was equally diminished in length, reaching inches above her knees. It was a white halter with a crisscrossed back. All over the dress were black dots of varying sizes. She wore the white feathered earrings she'd worn on her first date with Dean and left her hair down because she'd been far too preoccupied while getting ready to do much else with it. Dean was entirely to blame.

They got to the front of the club at last, and Luna became extremely vulgar at the sight of the small line. "What is the point of being a witch if you can't even blast through a couple bleeding queues!" she hissed and Ginny had to shush her through her own giggles. It would not do for them to blow the International Statute of Secrecy while out on a bender. Dean came over and wrapped his arms around her, rubbing some heat back into her arms through her thin jacket.

"Why don't we have clubs in the magical world?" Luna whined, "think of all the things we could do!" she imagined aloud.

"They have them in the States," Ginny reminded and her friend huffed indignantly.

"Well they don't have _me _in the States," she informed. "I'm going to file a complaint with the Ministry at the soonest convenience."

Even Ron had to snort. "Does anyone know what time Harry's showing up?" he asked from Hermione's side, joining in the conversation.

"I told him we'd be here around now, him and Maia might already be inside," Neville explained and Ron nodded.

"I think Louisa and Gracie should be near as well," Luna added, thinking of her work friends. "And when are wizards going to get mobiles?" she mumbled and nearly everyone shushed her.

"You can't tell me to shut up until midnight," she retorted and Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Just because it's your birthday doesn't mean you get to be a national security risk!"

"That's exactly what it means!" she cried and they nearly fell over, tittering manically.

Their wait in line was thankfully short, and Ginny had to admit that she was glad they came early. When they got to the front, security demanded to see their identification. All of them pulled out matching laminated, clear cards, which upon inspection, were all accepted and they were allowed in. These Wand Cards were Ministry issued to any witch or wizard who wanted to circulate in muggle society. They were magically enhanced to essentially show whatever identification or certification one might need to pass for a muggle.

To be illegible to get one, all you had to do was pass an exam when you were of age to prove that you had sufficient knowledge of the muggle world and weren't likely to be a liability to the Statute of Secrecy. _How in the name of magic they let Luna have one, I'll never know. _Ginny didn't get hers until she was nineteen when she moved out of Grimmauld. Any witch or wizard intending to live in a muggle community had to first be certified. As such, purebloods rarely applied.

They all walked into the front lobby where they had to wait in another short line to pay the cover and get their hands marked with a glow in the dark stamp, the word 'lounge' made into the shape of a chameleon. The music was throbbing and they were all eager to get into the main room and onto the dance floor.

"You guys go in, Hermione and I can check your coats if you like," Ron offered, very gentlemanly like and Ginny gave her brother a very affectionate peck on the cheek before everyone tossed their coats at him.

"Keep an eye out for Harry," Luna called before strutting off to the sound of the music.

Ginny followed after with Dean's arm around her waist, _so _ready to have some fun. They split up with Neville and Luna, heading first to the bar, promising to meet back up with them in a bit. Even though the night was still young, the place was pretty packed. There were all kinds of strobes going off, lights of every colour flashing over the moving crowd. Ginny turned back to smile at Dean and laughed at how vibrant his teeth and the whites of his eyes were. She looked down at her dress to see it magnificently aglow.

It was a very pleasing effect.

They got to the bar after Ginny managed to push through to the front. Being a short, attractive female had great benefits as all the boys made room for her to pass, and Dean simply had to follow close in the wake behind her to reap all the benefits.

Ginny was a little put out to see that the only bartender in their section was a busty brunette, because her charms were not likely to attract her to them. "Dean," she screamed up at him to make herself heard, "use your manliness to get us drinks! A double rye and ginger-ale for me!" By his vacant expression she knew she'd have to repeat it. She pressed a note into his palm and fifteen minutes later they were walking away, drinks in hand.

They scanned around for any free booths or tables, feeling a moment of dismay at all the filled seats until Dean, by chance, caught Harry waving at them across the floor from a booth. "Come on," he yelled to Ginny, pulling her along behind him.

_Of course we're the first ones to find him, _she thought humourlessly as Harry and Dean greeted each other, introducing him and Maia. She gave him a hug in turn and a wave to Maia who was finishing the last sip of her martini.

The two couples sat across from each other and shared a shouting conversation. "Luna's over there dancing with Neville. Ron and Hermione are in coat check!" Ginny informed.

"Have you two been here long?" Dean asked and they shook their heads.

"No, only about twenty minutes. Maia thought it would be a good idea to show up a little early and get a table since we're probably going to be here most of the night."

"It's a good thing you did; the place has already filled up!" Dean and Harry fell into conversation while Ginny went to work on the rye. Hermione and Ron showed up not to shortly after, followed by Luna and Neville. Ginny realized suddenly that the last time all of them had been together would have been five years ago on the desecrated grounds of Hogwarts. Something about the realization sobered her mood.

"Ginny, do you want to go get a refill with me?" Maia asked, seeing the empty cup in front of her. Ginny looked down, not having realized she finished it.

"I'd love to!" she shouted back and everyone got up from the bench to let the two girls pass. "Anyone need anything?" she asked the group, but everyone was good for now.

Ginny caught the strange look Harry was giving her as her and Maia turned to leave and had to resist making a face. _Does he think I'm going to stoop so low and tell his girlfriend he has a crush on me? _

"Come around this side," Maia told her as they went towards the opposite end of the bar. Ginny let the shorter girl lead the way. "I was flirting with the barman earlier so he'd serve me quicker all night," she grinned naughtily and Ginny had to laugh. She was ashamed to admit that she hadn't yet really bothered getting to know much about the girl, but she liked her more and more every time they met. _Her and Harry will make a great pair, _she thought hopefully. _If we're both lucky enough, she'll be the one to reclaim his heart. _She also realized that going out in muggle London must be a load off from their average outings. In the muggle world, he was just another boy at the bar; no one here had ever heard about The Boy Who Lived.

They made their way back to the table, noting that Ron and Hermione were gone and three others had joined the group, presumably Luna's friends. Dean and Harry both turned to smile at their partners' return and Luna watched merrily out of the corner of her eye. She was pleased as punch to see her best friend so happy once again that she could hardly resist pinching the two of their cheeks.

"You. Let's dance," Ginny commanded to Dean and he pounded back the rest of his beer before slamming it down on the table. Ginny took that as a challenge and shot-gunned her nearly full drink. Everyone at the table gave her a cheer as she slammed hers down beside his. She was on a roll.

"Bring it," he replied and off they went, carrying with them Harry's gaze. He was more than a little shocked when he heard that the two of them had gotten back together, especially since she'd always been so adamant in telling him to move on and put the past behind him. _Dean's always been a good guy, _he conceded, _but she deserves more... _He turned his head back to the conversation with some shame as Maia, his girlfriend, was asking if he'd like to dance.

It was a great surprise for her to find that her partner was an excellent dancer. He had great rhythm and was able to move his body in perfect sync with hers. This was just what she needed. She could barely remember the last time she'd gone out drinking to have a good time, most occasions she was just wallowing in her own self-pity. Plus, Luna was right; there weren't too many establishments in the wizarding world that boasted of a dance floor.

The rye went straight to her head and she could feel her face flush as the music assaulted her senses. Everything around her spun in and out of focus while Dean was her pillar of concentration. She put all her attention on his hands at her hips and the solidity of his chest lest her feet somehow lose their step. She had the sudden urge to burst out laughing for no reason, but settled instead for an amused smile.

Neville and Luna made their way past them and Ginny had to stifle her cry of indignation as her best friend gave her a smack on the butt. _I'll get you for that woman, _she promised, though proceeded to forget about it moments later.

After about five or six songs Ginny's calves were starting to burn from the treacherous angle her heels caused. "I have to sit down for a moment," she confessed to him, lips brushing the side of his ear. He nodded his compliance and they both headed back to the table, which was now only occupied by Ron and Hermione.

"Merlin, my legs are getting a workout," she told them, sliding beside Hermione who shared in her pain. Dean sat across from her beside Ron. Getting off her feet was heavenly.

"Having fun?" Ron asked with a shout that, even in such a noisy situation, was still a little too loud. She could tell from his own easy grin and red cheeks that he was feeling the alcohol as well.

"The most!" she leaned in to reply, "No more doubles tonight, me thinks."

"Well you better make an exception because Ron's ordered you all a round of shots," Hermione said with a wicked grin, enjoying the sobriety as it gave her a chance to observe their suffering.

"Have mercy on me, brother," she moaned and Dean gave her a looks as if to say "you big baby."

She sat back in her seat and let the other three converse while allowing her inebriation to wash over her relaxed body. Her eyes drifted to the dancers on the floor and her mind slowly zoned out while their voices melted into the pulsing sound of the music. Suddenly a flash of light from one of the strobes flashed by the table and she was jolted into alertness. She hardly knew what happened, but her heart was racing and her stomach clenched uncomfortably. She shook her head, unsure of what had alarmed her so, but had a funny feeling she should cut herself off for the night.

Luna's friends Gracie, Louisa and her date joined them again just as the shots arrived. Ten neon little glasses were placed in front of them.

"Someone should get the missing lovebirds; it's time to toast the birthday girl!" Ron announced and Gracie volunteered being in the easiest position to get up. She headed into the crowd of couples towards where Luna and Neville had last been spotted.

"Quick, someone pull that table over," Dean exclaimed as the group of three nearby stood and left, taking their coats along with them. Louisa and Marcus stood and grabbed it along with five more chairs. Everyone still left in the booth spaced themselves out, no longer cramped with four to a bench. Gracie returned with the absentees.

"The troupes are assembled!" Luna announced with a bright smile. She looked a little unsteady on her feet, but Neville plunked her down firmly.

Ron and Dean passed them out to everyone around the table and once they were all accounted for, Ginny raised hers up in front of her. Another strobe flashed across the table and for a moment Ginny's head felt like it was going to burst. The headache subsided as quickly as it came but her feeling of unease did not.

Ignoring her anxiety, she cleared her throat to begin, "To Luna, to friends, to muggles and to Sundays; happy birthday, Luna!" Short and sweet.

Everyone raised their drink to a chorus of "Here, here!" and downed the sugary concoction (save Hermione, who sipped her water).

Ginny hesitated before throwing hers back, trying hard to subdue the overwhelming feeling of disturbance that kept resurfacing. _What in the name of Merlin is wrong with me?_

Their toast complete, the group slowly filtered out of their seats back to the bar or their dance partners. "I've got to go to the loo," she told Dean before sliding out of the booth herself. "I'll meet you back here."

"Alright," he replied without concern, turning back to Ron and Hermione who were deep in conversation about something to do with Bowtruckles.

"Are you okay?" Luna asked as she headed past her seat. Ginny wasn't surprised she could sense something was amiss, having been her closest friend since she was fourteen.

"Yeah, definitely. I'm..." she considered for a moment explaining any of the hundreds of unpleasant thoughts going through her head but she bit her tongue. This was Luna's night to have fun not deal with her messed up friend. Plus, she didn't know if she even had the words to make sense of what she was feeling. "I'm fine, need to pee," she reassured with her most sincere smile. Had Luna been sober, she wouldn't have bought it for a moment.

Ginny made her way to the washroom shakily as she tried to get herself under control. _You're being absolutely ridiculous, _she berated in an attempt to regain some of her lost mental composure. She reached the stairwell, meaning to head down to the washrooms but was distressed to find a line of like minded women reaching up the stairs and wrapping around the corner into the main room. Ginny cursed, joining the queue while finding a spot against the wall.

She started to collect her thoughts and felt herself calming down. Ginny couldn't believe that she'd been so easily affected, especially since so many years had passed since she'd experienced this sense of irrational panic. Finally feeling relaxed enough to laugh at herself a little, she decided to head back to the group and put this incident behind her. She pushed off the wall at the exact moment one of the lights shone straight into her eyes, blinding her with flashing green.

_"AVADA KEDAVRA!" _she heard screamed in her head as countless terrified faces passed before her mind's eyes, life stolen from their own.

"Oh gods," she breathed weakly as she fell back against the wall, reaching a hand up to her now throbbing head. She could remember their screams as if it were yesterday.

Needing to move, to get out of there she checked the line in desperation to see if it was making any progress. Right now she was at the top of the stairs, but nowhere near the door. In a split decision, she vacated her spot and headed down the cleared side of the staircase. She heard several angry complaints and jeers from the other women waiting, but paid them no mind. She was close to breaking down and this was the last place she wanted to be.

As she predicted, the door to the men's room was clear of any line so she pushed through without a second thought. She heard a few voices calling out to tell her she couldn't go in there, but to her it was just white noise. She passed a few men at the urinals, one of which turned to look at her with awed surprise. She got to the sinks and turned on the tap, splashing her face with the cold water. It was a small relief.

She gripped the sides of the sink painfully tight, her head hanging down as she took in a few gasping breaths. When she finally straightened out, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Pale and wide eyed, her freckles stood out in stark contrast.

In the reflection she saw two men standing there dumbly, gaping at her presence and apparent attractiveness. She grabbed a handful of paper towels to wipe her face before spinning around to push past them. Trying to avoid the yellow patches of urine from drunks with poor aim, she threw the ball of wet paper in the garbage before exiting. She nearly ran into another man about to walk in who gave her an amused questioning look before she shuffled around him and marched back up the stairs.

The strain in her calves nothing compared to her desire to find Luna or Hermione.

Walking back into the central part of the club was like a punch in the stomach. The flashing lights now reminded her so much of the spell torrent that erupted on the first night of the war. Blues, purples, reds and green, each signalling life or death as many of her friends had learned.

Ginny found Luna by the bar, chatting with Gracie, and someone she didn't recognize, presumably a muggle. "Ginny!" she called with a smile which faded the second she got near. "Yeah, you really look fine," she said with sarcasm.

"I have to get out of here; I'm not feeling so hot."

"Well bollocks, do you want me to come with you?" she asked, concerned, not knowing the last time she ever saw Ginny in such a state.

"No, it's your birthday. I've just got an upset stomach," she explained, desperately needing to say her to say goodbye so that she could leave, but all the same commending the girl for her inhuman selflessness. "Please say bye to Dean for me, and tell him how awful I feel for ducking out on him like this, I just... I have to go." She gave Luna a tight hug before turning round to bolt for the exit.

She really felt terrible for leaving him like that, but his concern for her would be too great to let her go by herself and she was in too bad a state to last while she convinced him to stay. _I owe him one._

Her panic subsided moderately after getting into the front lobby but she nearly bit her tongue off at the sight of the small line at coat check. She pulled the stub Hermione had given her out of her bra. Shifting her weight from one foot to another anxiously, she opened and closed her hands to make tight fists, digging her nails into the soft flesh of her palms. She was out in the night air ten minutes later.

Outside, a number of club goers were ending their night with a cigarette before catching a cab, but Ginevra just stood in the middle of the sidewalk, looking up at the sky. She buttoned up her coat before setting off at a quick pace. The fresh air made her lapse of claustrophobia diminish to nothing. The night had cooled to a sharp chill which felt magnificent on her sweaty brow.

She ducked left into the first alley she came upon, reaching up her dress and pulling out her wand to apparate back to her apartment. She flicked her it to light one of her lamps before making her way to her kitchen cupboard, pulling out a bottle of wine. It wasn't yet twelve thirty. Bottle in hand, she disappeared as quick as she came, reappearing in a familiar hallway, body working on improvised overdrive.

He came to the door quickly, far quicker than anyone would if they'd been asleep, just as she suspected he wouldn't be.

"Ginevra?" Remus said incredulously, eyes taking in her less than modest outfit. In hindsight, she probably should have changed before showing up. She felt kind of like a hussy next to his plaid cotton pants and dark t-shirt.

She raised the bottle in her left hand with a weak smile. "I brought wine."

"Well then I guess you can come on in," he added, moving aside to let her pass as he closed the door behind her. She could hear the soft noise of the television from the next room.

"I'm sorry to stop by so late unannounced but I―" her train of thought cut off as she interrupted herself. "Would you mind if I sat down? My feet are bloody killing me."

"No problem," he said, taking a seat himself on the couch facing the television. Ginny sank down into the cushion and let out a sigh. She could hardly believe how much better she felt after peeling her shoes off. She gave a soft hum of delight as she massaged her arches.

"Long night?"

"Well it wasn't short, that's for certain," she gave a mirthless laugh.

He reached for the remote and turned the volume down. "Shall I get us some glasses?"

"Sounds like a plan."

"Accio!" he summoned, wand raised towards his kitchen. Two clean, mismatched glasses levitated from the sink. He corked the bottle and poured them a generous amount then passed her hers.

She sipped it in comfortable silence, letting the warmth spread back to her insides. Her buzz from before had been overcome by her adrenalin but now it started to work itself back through her. She took her jacket off and slung it over the back of the couch, wishing for a moment that her arms and shoulders weren't quite so bare.

"Wine, huh?" he opened with ill concealed amusement. He knew better than most that she was more of a hard liquor girl. "Interesting choice."

"I bought it weeks ago. It was supposed to be for when Luna and Neville got back from Tibet; I forgot about it, but now I've remembered." She took another long draught.

"Hmm," he offered contemplatively as he took his own taste. His curiosity was nearly getting the better of him, but he continued to stay silent. Just then she was holding back her reason for showing up at his place so late. He knew she'd expected to be out with a group of friends and he wondered if it wasn't something that happened between them to bring her here. Whatever it was, she'd speak up if he gave her time and he'd be no help pushing the matter.

She gave that same humourless laugh and he had to resist the urge to shiver at how hollow it sounded. "I left the bar early. I couldn't... handle it in there," she confessed, though he didn't yet know what she meant by it. Her gaze shifting to the episode of Law and Order before she began and only once she stopped speaking did she look over at him. His expression was open and honest. _I don't even know what I did to deserve such a friend in him._

"Sometimes I feel as if my life is slipping farther and farther away from me," she explained with trepidation, having never shared these thoughts that had been growing daily.

"How do you mean?" he asked after realizing she was waiting for him to say something. He watched her closely, having a suspicion that she'd been concealing this for some months.

"Oh Merlin, I feel like a total prat showing up at this hour just so you can listen to me gripe," she broke off with absolute honesty. He signalled his desire for her to continue with his indulgent silence. Ginny began with a sigh.

"After Hogwarts I threw myself into the war efforts. I was going to be a healer, see to the casualties, help the innocent, _do my part._ But it wasn't enough," she sighed again, rubbing a hand subconsciously over her forehead to push back a few stray hairs. She could feel herself becoming emotional, a slight prickling in her eyes. She wasn't normally so forthcoming with her inner feelings so she figured her blood alcohol level might have something to do with it. "It felt like something was missing from my life, some greater purpose, I guess. But every war victim I healed, five more would replace them. I knew that it didn't matter what I did, I was just fixing a leak while the building was burning down," she brought her legs on onto the couch, tucking them underneath her.

He was impressed with her metaphor.

"When Moody offered to get me into the Auror program it was like someone had granted my wish. I was going to be there on the front lines, affecting the enemy's plans so that we could gain even the smallest bit of ground," Remus listened attentively. He had a strong sense of where she was taking these confessions as he'd been aware of her personal plight for far longer than she could ever imagine. Since that precocious, bright-eyed girl sat in his class, too nervous to raise her hand for fear of showing how smart she really was to her classmates.

"What I'm getting at is my being suspended is the first time in my life that I've not been able to distract myself long enough to keep the past behind me. When I was younger, I buried myself in school work, assignments, studying. Even after the battle happened, my life didn't skip a beat as I threw myself back into finishing seventh year. Not even a month later I was working to be a healer. Hell, I gave my two week notice then was enrolled in the Auror program fourteen days after!" Ginny cleared her throat embarrassedly after her exclamation, realizing that her voice had been getting steadily louder since she started.

"Merlin, I don't even know what I'm saying, you want me to pour you another?" she asked in a completely changed tone as she reached for the wine to fill her empty drink.

"Top me up," he replied, resigning himself to her retreating back into herself. She filled his glass while he got up from his seat.

"Where are you going?"

"Just be a minute," he reassured then headed down the hall towards his room. Ginny turned her attention happily to Detective Elliot Stabler on the screen.

"You want to get some air?" he asked from behind the couch carrying a thin, rectangular, wooden box. She looked at his pleased expression with suspicion.

"It's cold out," she said defensively from her comfortable seat.

"You have a coat," he replied scornfully.

"Have you seen this?" she retorted, holding up the thin material of the vestment in question for him to inspect. "Beyond aesthetics, its uses are sorely limited." She wasn't so eager to brave the night now that her body wasn't burning up.

Remus gave her his most steady stare. She smiled back innocently. He shook his head and went back to his room, returning wearing a heavy brown sweater over what she suspected was another one. "This is for you," he said holding up a faded, dark brown leather coat.

"Suit yourself," she replied, giving in at last, knowing he would not relent until she was persuaded. She got up, took the offered coat with aplomb, sliding her arms into the extra long sleeves, surprised at the unexpected weight. It was nearly as long as her dress and the sleeves had to be rolled up, but was otherwise terribly cozy. Especially with the soft lining inside.

"Satisfied?" he smirked at her contented expression.

"It'll do," she put back cheekily, "though I kind of feel like I'm dressed like a flasher," she added, zipping up the front, leaving nothing but her sheer, cream coloured tights visible. She did a quick transfiguration on her devilish footwear, turning the black stilettos temporarily into more manageable flats. "Allons-y!"

* * *

><p>"Hey, have you seen your sister?" Dean asked once he managed to find Ron.<p>

"Who?" he shouted, holding onto Hermione as if his life depended on it. Judging by the way he was swaying and the unfocused expression in his eyes, it just might well have.

"_Your sister!" _he cried into her brother's ear, not entirely satisfied at the attempt he made to rearrange his features into comprehension.

"Ginny?" _No, the other one, _he was tempted to snap but knew that his own deductive talents were a little blurry at that moment too.

"Yeah! She was supposed to meet me by our booth a while ago," he explained as succinctly as possible.

"When did you last see her?" Hermione interjected with her always appreciated calm, sober reasoning.

"About half an hour ago! She went to the loo and didn't come back," he was having a hard time deciphering whether he was actually just being clingy and wanting to keep tabs on the girl he was dating, or if he had legitimate reason for concern. "The women's line is about a mile long though, so she might still be waiting," he added, just to be safe. Hermione's own expression seemed to show what he was feeling.

"I last saw her talking to Luna by the bar," she offered, wishing she had any more helpful information.

"Thanks!" he shouted, spinning around to find the birthday blond.

The sunflower made things so much easier for him. There she was, exactly where Ginny had left her, standing next to her hubby, talking animatedly to Harry and his date.

"Dean! There you are!" she cried with a dazzling beam and only the slightest of slurs, remembering just then the message she was supposed to pass along. She came towards him with an impressively even gait.

"Luna, have you seen―

"Ginny told me to tell you she wasn't feeling well and had to go home!" she blurted, reaching out to rest a hand on his arm as she added, "She also said to say she was really, really, _really _sorry for bailing so unexpectedly on you!" she gave him a sympathetic pat. He felt both happy and disappointed at once. Glad she was safe and accounted for but fairly disappointed she hadn't come and found him herself. _She shouldn't have had to go home by herself, _he thought, strangely guilty at these turn of events.

"Hey Dean, Luna and I are probably heading out soon, but it was great to see you, mate," Neville spoke up jovially, suddenly aware of their conversation. "We'll all have to go out together again soon; it's been way too long!"

Dean smiled genuinely at his old schoolmate, agreeing most assuredly.

"What about you guys? Calling it a night?" Neville turned to the other couple.

Harry wrapped his arm around Maia's shoulder with an easy grin. "What do you say, lady?" he asked down to her.

She put her own arm around his waist, "I think I could stay for a few more songs!" Dean felt a momentary pang of envy at the affectionate expression she gave, looking up at him.

"Whatever you say, Ginny!"

It was as if the entire bar went silent. Four pairs of eyes glued to Harry. Maia's smile faltered and her posture grew stiff. Harry finally caught on to his mistake. His face took on a horrified look.

"Of fuck, Maia" he exclaimed, "Maia, I'm sorry," he confessed with absolute sincerity, knowing he'd made the biggest ass of himself. Dean watched the interaction with an indecisive stare. Was it just an innocent slip up or a deeper revelation?

Maia put her hand back around Harry, pulling her to him. She stood up on her tip-toes and kissed him on the cheek. "Don't worry about it. Next round's on you, Ron," she replied teasingly, cutting the tension as Neville and Luna laughed. Dean couldn't help but notice her smile didn't quite reach the eyes. He wondered if she had any idea about their previous relationship, if Harry had thought or meant to tell her. _Well she's certainly going to wonder now. _Harry's whole posture relaxed as relief washed over him, but the guilt on his face wasn't so easy to dissuade.

Dean had a sudden moment of sick suspicion as he wondered just how "ill" Ginny really was.

* * *

><p>"Remind me again why we're doing this?" she couldn't help but ask as they made their way down the hall towards the stairs.<p>

"Because my neighbours can't stand the smell of smoke," he explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Where's the fire?" He pulled out the wooden box again, tapping his fingers indicatively on the lid with a mischievous expression. Ginny didn't know whether to be curious or cautious.

They entered the small stairwell, Ginny veering right and Remus turning left. Simultaneously they turned to give each other a puzzled look.

"Where are you going?"

"Where are _you _going?"

"I'm going outside, aren't you?" Ginny asked, expecting that they'd go down to the bottom floor and out of the main entrance.

"Yes, but the roof's this way," he explained off-handed before continuing on his way upwards. _What a night, _she thought before taking off to catch up.

Three flight up Remus whispered "Alohomora," unlocking the latch to the door clearly marked _No Entry_.

"Oh, you're bad," Ginny whispered impishly after reading the bolded red text. The door swung open, letting in the night's atmosphere.

"Here we are," he chimed at the sight of two derelict crates. Their breaths escaped in visible clouds as they each rested their bums on the newly transfigured chairs.

Remus passed her a cigar from his box.

"Oh baby, you know how to treat a girl," she mumbled with the end in her mouth. He lit his wand and she put the other end downward, well above the flame to lightly toast for about five seconds. Then, with experience, she leveled the cigar at the same distance above the flame to take several long, gentle puffs, rotating it for an even burn. Remus lit his own and they leaned back peacefully, staring up at the clear sky and half-moon glowing over the city. Ginny asked where he got them.

"One of the pack-masters I stayed with in Scotland gave them to me. He says his niece sends him a package from Cuba every year. Alderton, his name was," he informed with a level of nostalgia.

Ginny made a noise in the back of her throat to signal her approval. "Well you know what they say about werewolves' tastes," she added, taking another draw. She watched him blow smoke rings for a while, hypnotized by the hazy shapes floating in the air. It took her a while to notice just how disarmingly at ease she was, considering her break down earlier.

She hadn't managed to tell him the full story of her disturbance, but it had been enough. The mere comfort of having someone so completely and objectively willing to listen to her speak without their need for assumptions or stale advice was utterly refreshing. The cigar helped too.

"You never did tell me about your time in the North," said Ginny, realizing how pitiably one-sided their dialogue had mostly been thus far.

They stayed outside until the both of their cigars were nearly finished, watching the moon trace its slow path through the night. The conversation had trailed off some time ago, to neither of their displeasure. Silence came easily and naturally to them both.

Ginny was just beginning to nod off when Remus gave a soft yawn beside her, stretching both his arms and legs. It was time for bed. Ginny turned a lazy head to tell him she was done for the night when suddenly there was a loud crack beneath her as Remus' bit of magic gave out and the chair became a crate once more and the crate became a pile of splinters. She lay on the ground stunned for a moment before bursting into peals of laughter. Remus sprang to his feet to make sure she was alright, having more fortunately secured the sturdier of the two boxes.

He gave her a hand to pull her up. She stumbled into him briefly, still in stitches. "Did you hit your head?" he asked suspiciously as she let him support her while she got herself under control.

"It's been a long night and I'm just kind of drunk, and loopy, and cold, and sleepy," she enumerated, wiping a stray tear from the corner of her eye, "and hungry," she added with consideration.

They broke apart and made it back down to his place, incident-free. She retrieved her jacket, folding it over one arm then gave him back his own. She couldn't help notice the way his scent clung to her. It was a faint, earthy, fresh smell underneath the cigar smoke, one that she did not mind at all.

"Sorry I don't have the floo network connected yet, you'll have to apparate," he apologized but she waved it off, caring little either way. "Did you want to take the rest of your wine?"

She looked over to the half full bottle and the abandoned glasses. "No, you keep it for yourself," she drew her wand. "Owl sometime this week and we can make less improvised plans." She pulled the back of her dress down which was threatening to become indecent before adjusting the front.

"Will do," he replied then added unexpectedly, "and you look nice tonight, Ginevra." She grinned sweetly at the compliment, reappearing in her apartment with a goofy smile on her face. _What a night. _

Her head hit the pillow at three thirty and she was out by three thirty one.

**TBC**

* * *

><p><span>Author's note:<span> Voila! More Remus, which I'm always excited about. If you've ever watched Doctor Who, I stole the idea of the Wand Cards from his Psychic Paper, but it was really more of a wonderment on how witches and wizards actually do move about in the muggle world because it would be so difficult in this day and age with everything needing proof of this and that. Hope you liked it though, it was another kind of uneventful chapter, but technically it was originally just the end half of the last one. Anyways, thanks for you time folks, reviews are always appreciated!

Cheers.


	10. The Wand Shop

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the wonderful world of Harry Potter. If I owned Remus Lupin or Draco Malfoy… I would have better things to do than write fanfiction ;).

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Ten<strong>

Their food arrived at last. The waitress came back and filled Ginny's cup with fresh, steaming coffee before going off to make sure the other patrons were all set. Dean reached for his utensils.

That morning Ginny woke groggily, mouth dried with the after taste of smoke. She took a long bath, washed the smell from her hair then brushed her teeth and got dressed before feeling like a human again. Dean flooed her sometime after two.

"How are you feeling?" he asked from the fireplace.

"Much better," she assured, trying to stave off the inner guilt. "Look, I feel really bad about ducking out on you last night, did you want to grab a late lunch if you haven't eaten already?"

"Sure, what were you thinking?"

"How about the Silver Birch?" she suggested.

"That's good with me. Meet you in twenty?"

"Perfect," she concluded and he pulled his head out of her apartment.

Ginny made a quick assessment of chores she could do while in the area. After brushing her hair and throwing on a bit of makeup to brighten her face, she grabbed her purse and wand, and then looked in her wallet to see how much gold she had left. Summoning her vault key, she used the last of the floo powder to get her to the Leaky Cauldron.

"Hullo, Tom," she greeted to the barman in passing, exiting the dark pub through the back door. She drew her wand, approaching the nondescript brick wall. _Three up… two across, _she recited in her head out of habit, tapping the bricks in question, causing them to shift apart fluidly to form the entrance arch. She stepped through onto the cobbled street in front of her as the arch sealed up behind.

When she got to the restaurant, Dean was already waiting for her at a table by the window. _I always forget how much I love this place, _she realized as she made her way through the other tables. The inside walls were decorated with a birch tree façade, so realistic they seemed to grow from the woodwork. The few supporting pillars around the room were similarly matched, sprouting from the floor to the foliage above. The entire ceiling was made to resemble a forest's cover, as artificial light shone through the birch leaves, perpetually imitating the golden warmth of a midsummer's sun. It was a very soothing effect.

"So how late did everyone stay?" she asked curiously, pouring syrup over her blueberry crepe. They both made the choice of a hung over breakfast for lunch.

"Most of us left around one," he replied between mouthfuls. "Hermione and Ron caught the Knight Bus home a little earlier."

Ginny poured some cream into her coffee. "What for?"

"Apparently you're not supposed to apparate during the first three months of pregnancy," he explained with a shrug, "or at least that's what Hermione tells me."

"Was Luna upset at me ditching her birthday?"

"It wasn't ditching if you were sick," he defended, though there was a slight question in his eyes. "People were pretty bummed when they found out you'd gone though." He watched her reaction closely. Ginny didn't notice that anything was amiss. He had to push on though. He had to get this out of the way because he wasn't going to make the same mistake he made seven years ago.

"Do you have feelings for him?" he blurted, more rashly than he intended.

For a moment she was absolutely stunned, thinking her lie had been caught and he'd somehow found that she'd been at Remus'. An image of them sitting together on the roof flashed through her mind and she worked to keep her face straight. It was not a good position to be caught in, no matter how you looked at it. Innocent or not. _How am I going to explain this?_

"Harry was particularly disappointed," he added significantly, which was unfortunate because he'd been aiming for nonchalance. She froze mid chew, realizing that they were both on completely different pages.

Swallowing, she fixed her eyes sharply on him, understanding what this was really about. Ginny didn't like hedging. "What are you really trying to say, Dean?"

"Ginny, you and him were such a big thing back in school. You admitted to me once that you fell in love with him before you even really knew how. Everyone was sure you two were going to run off, get married, have kids, the whole package," he sighed. _I thought that once too, _Ginny thought. "You thought that once too," he continued and she nearly blushed, as though he'd read her thoughts.

Sometimes it was easy to forget how much he knew about her.

"After Hogwarts, even the papers were talking about you two like it was meant to be." Ginny sat back in her seat, crossing her arms. They most certainly had.

"I do not have feelings for Harry. I haven't for many years," she admitted finally, completely resigned to the fact that this was indeed a conversation they were destined to have.

"What happened?" he asked at last. "When did you two get so far from each other?"

"The truth?" He nodded, aware that she was having just as many reservations about this topic as him.

"Lay it on me."

"He proposed to me."

"_What?" _he exclaimed after a long pause of incredulity. Ginny understood his disbelief; it was much the same reaction her mother had given her.

"Harry proposed, after the battle," she repeated, "and I said no."

"But why would―

"Why would I say that?" she interrupted, knowing it was a very reasonable question. One she asked herself for days after. "Because I'd changed. After the battle something in me broke while other parts of me vanished completely. When he asked me to spend the rest of his life with him, I suddenly realized what a mistake we'd both be making." She sipped her coffee. The memory still sat precariously in her conscience, but she'd made the right decision for them both. No matter what her mother―_or Harry_―had to say about it.

Dean pushed around a piece of pancake through the leftover syrup on his plate.

"It was an act of desperation after having our mortality thrown in our faces. He wanted me to promise him the rest of our lives when he knew we very well might be dead in a month. He was scared, we all were," she explained, sending her mind back to that uneasy time. It wasn't until the sound of Dean's glass on the table top brought her back to the present when she realize she'd zoned out.

"Should we grab the bill?" she asked, filling the silence. Dean kept his sigh to himself. He felt responsible for the stale mood that had developed and had to wonder if it wasn't because of it that she was so eager to leave. Whatever the cause, he knew she'd given up as much as she was willing.

"I'm sorry for bringing it up," he admitted, hoping to impress upon her his geniality.

She gave him a strange look, one he couldn't read… then she smiled.

"You've got every right to know," she reassured, soothing his guarded posture. "I've got some chores to take care of but how about I owl you tonight and we can make a date for sometime during the week." Everything went better than expected.

He paid for both their meals after ignoring many of her protests. It was the least he could do. He walked with her to the bank before they bid each other farewell.

Once she was done at Gringott's Ginny proceeded down the alley, making all her necessary stops for floo powder, cat food and some owl nuts, a new set of quills and another book on protection charms. She figured the way her life was going, she had best do some studying up.

Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes was quiet by the time she walked in, save for two or three customers perusing the isles. The first of her brothers she came upon was sitting behind the front desk with his heels crossed on the counter, reclining back in his chair with a copy of the Quibbler.

"Ginny!" he exclaimed enthusiastically when she taped the top of his paper with her wand. He threw the newspaper over his shoulder, not caring where it fell.

"Gred!" he shouted to the back room, "our most rare and elusive female sibling is here!"

"Hold your Hippogriffs, Forge, I'm nearly there," a muffled cry came from the back followed by a loud _bang _then a dramatic _crash. _A moment later, Fred appeared with his hair mussed up, a singed eyebrow and soot over his ruffled clothes.

"Well look who's come to shower grace and goodwill upon us with the blessing of her presence!" he announced in a teasing tone. It was true she hadn't been to see them in weeks but instead of apologizing like a loving sister would, she told him to stuff it.

"I've been busy," she replied in a posh, nasally voice.

"Busy _not _working?" George retorted with a snort and Ginny shot him a withering look.

"One of these days," she began threateningly, "I'm going to tell mum just what happened to her purple robe." The two of them quailed.

"Alright, alright no need to get nasty," George said, throwing his hands up in surrender. "What brings you to our humble shop?"

"Come to beg for a love potion? Perhaps something a little stronger," Fred added with a wink.

Ginny leaned against the counter with her elbow, with a disdainful glance. "For your insufferable information, I'm already seeing someone." Their interests were peaked. Both stood at complete attention and she rolled her eyes. "Not that it's _any _of your business."

"Do we know the poor sod?" George asked and Ginny whipped a Pigmy Puff at his head. He nearly fell off his seat trying to avoid a hit to the face.

"My love life is not at all what I came here to talk to you two dolts about," she explained, avoiding the answer. She was not in the mood to listen to them prattle on about Dean and her, especially when she had something a deal more significant to say.

"Excuse me," a young boy interrupted, carrying a paper bag filled with gummies. He looked to be near of age to be going to school. She didn't even want to imagine what sorts of unpleasant things awaited the one who got to eat them. Eating anything from their joke shop was hardly ever something you'd willingly put yourself through. _That's the funniest part! _she could hear them confessing to her in stitches as preadolescents.

George put the bag on the scale then took from him a Galleon and three silver Sickles.

"What was it you were saying about the boy you were seeing?" he asked when the younger boy had walked away.

"I was saying keep your nose out of it or I'll hex it off."

"Blimey Ginny, you're sick."

"Where's Kaleisha?" she asked flippantly, changing the topic away from herself.

"Sent her home early," Fred answered, "it's been quiet around these parts today."

"Guess people aren't feeling too funny lately," George added in a mopey tone.

"Well that's just as well because I wanted to talk to you two about Rosaline," she confessed. That was definitely not what they'd been expecting.

"Rosaline? You mean Percy's Dementor of a spouse?"

"The one and only."

"What's she done to you this time?"

"Asked you to sign a petition against unmarried adults under thirty?" Both of them gave a knowing smirk.

"More like she's been hiding the fact that she's related to a family of Death Eater supporters," Ginny elaborated impatiently. George looked appropriately alarmed but Fred seemed unfazed.

"Ginny, that's true of nearly any pureblood these days. It's no surprise she'd want to keep that a secret. I mean, just look at you now!"

"Yes, but I know she's still keeping in touch with them. Last week I happened to run into her at St. Mungo's chatting away easily with Blaise Zabini. Did you have even the faintest idea that the two of them are cousins? Apparently she lived with them for a number of years when they were children and spent almost every summer here in Britain after then until she graduated." Ginny had been completely disturbed to discover that upon reading the file. The two of them grew up as close as brother to sister only Rosaline's family had moved to France while she was enrolled at Beauxbatons.

"I don't know what you expect us to think, sister," Fred admitted sadly.

"I want you to think that it's perhaps not so wise to be trusting her if she has sympathies to a family so _impressively _well connected!" she said, "Look at the way she's treated Hermione over the years, practically calls her a whore at the dinner table. You honestly think there can't be some underlying prejudice when someone's initial impression of _Hermione Granger_ is that she is promiscuous? I'd maybe laugh if it didn't make me want to throttle her every time I think about it. She's hated her ever since they met."

George looked as if she had made a fairly solid point, but Fred wasn't convinced.

"You think she hates Hermione just because she's muggleborn?" he questioned incredulously.

"What other reason could she possibly have?"

"Is it really such a stretch of the imagination to accept that Percy simply married a total snob of a cow?"

"It does seem a little improbable, Gin," George finally input, "It's hardly likely Percy would ever marry a girl who did not pass his own intensive background investigation."

He had her there.

"Well I hope you're right, for everyone's sake," she conceded temporarily. "She's just so bloody awful I almost wish she were evil just so I'd know how bad to feel about knocking her out," she fumed.

"Calm down, Ginny, there are innocent people around," George warned as him and Fred backed away. They'd each been on the end of Ginny's temper before.

"Oh, bugger yourselves," she muttered, leaning back against the wall. Their reaction to her revelation was disappointing to say the least. She'd just been wanting to find something, _anything_ that could be a lead to the understanding any of the endless mysteries surrounding her lately. Even she had to accept though that she was grasping at straws.

"Would you look at the time, George!" Fred said suddenly, looking down at his watch-less wrist. Ginny's brows furrowed deeper. Fred held his blank arm out for George to inspect.

"Well what do you know," he replied in the same happily surprised tone. "It's time for a bit of supper!"

They turned to her with expressions of surprised delight. "Don't. You. Dare," she hissed, making their identical grins grow even wider.

"Don't sound so worried, it looks like you've got everything under control here," George beamed.

A customer walked up to the counter, distracting her for the briefest of seconds. She whipped back around to grab the two of them before they could escape, but she was too slow. They vanished merrily, leaving her in charge. _Miserable, blithering, insufferable, bloody twats! _

Once she was done terrifying the customer with her murderous expression, Ginny sank down into the newly vacated seat. The only thing that kept her was knowing they would pay her handsomely for her selfless (mostly) hours of time. _It's not like I've got anything else to do, _she thought miserably.

The work was easy, having helped out for two summers. Also, they were right. It was a quiet day. It wasn't until twenty minutes had past when Ginny actually had to get up from behind the desk. A woman's four year old son managed to knock over a whole display of WonderWitch packages. It was no surprise the two of them made a hasty retreat after she told them it was not a problem.

She managed to clean the glass and sodden boxes with a simple spell, but the sopping pink stain on the floor wouldn't budge. Ginny burst into another stream of mental curses as she fetched a mop from the back room.

With a fair bit of scrubbing, she made a little progress.

"Well this is a coincidence," a familiar voice behind her announced. She jumped nearly a foot in the air having not heard the bell to tell her someone had come in.

"Merlin," she cried, "I just about stunned you" She brought a hand up to her chest to still her excited heart beat. Her days of late were making her a little jumpy.

"Sorry," Remus apologized sincerely though she could detect the hint of amusement in his eyes. She was not in a particularly amused mood, and being accidentally snuck up on did nothing to ease her annoyance. She was not having a very good day.

"You seem of a particularly sunny disposition today," he noted, eliciting a scowl.

"I'm thinking only of you when I say this, Remus: do _not_ get me started." she warned with finality. He mimed a zipping action over his mouth.

"What brings you here?" she finally got to asking after giving up on the mop. She figured there was probably some sort of dissolving solution in the back, but either way she didn't particularly care anymore.

"Your brothers asked me if I would come by and give them some of my saliva," he explained and Ginny was quite interested. "They said they're particularly interested in testing the practical uses of werewolf genes in some of their more," he paused to think of an appropriate word, "_delicate _projects." Ginny made a note to talk to them about that later. For obvious reasons that sounded like a conspicuous endeavour if she'd ever seen one. Even from those two.

"So Fred and George are… out, I gather?" he asked after a quick glance around, trying failingly to disguise his humour towards the situation.

"For about the last half hour, yes."

"Well what time are you off?" he inquired. "We could grab something to eat?"

She looked down at her own watch-less wrist, mocking her brothers while they were away. "Right now, it looks like." She grabbed her purse from underneath the counter, leaving her shopping bags. She double checked to make sure no renegade customers were lurking around before she turned the sign on the front door to say that they were closed. She locked up behind them then they made their way down the alley to the Leaky Cauldron.

Having eaten not long ago, Ginny ordered the cream of mushroom soup and a butterbeer, deciding after last night's fiasco that maybe she should take a break from anything stronger.

"I should head back," she announced finally, her conscience getting the better of her. It did help talking to Remus as it had often of late done wonders to lighten her sour mood. "I've still got to finish cleaning that bloody mess of a display and count the register," _and lock the money in the safe, cover all the displays, turning the back lights off and get all my crap. _She pressed an impatient hand to her brow subconsciously every few minutes. Going out for lunch had turned into a far bigger event than she'd prepared herself for.

"I'll walk you back," Remus offered, considering that they both might be lucky and the twins would be back by now. They each tossed a few Galleons on the table and made their way back out to the strip. Sometime after they'd gotten in the pub, it had started to rain.

"Brilliant," Ginny grumbled at the overcast sky. Neither having equipped themselves with a wand they strode quickly through the crowded alley to their destination. Everyone was bustling in every direction with likeminded intentions.

They'd gotten under the shop's awning when Ginny turned to thank Remus for the quick dinner just as the first explosion set off.

All at once many things happened.

Screams erupted to their left at the sound of glass shattering. They both whipped around, catching sight of the terrifying figures in black robes apparating into the alley. The instant she caught sight of those white masks, Ginny threw herself against the flow of fleeing, panicked shoppers. Remus called out after but she continued against the hysterical traffic. She knew he was following but she didn't have time to slow.

She caught a glimpse of the Death Eaters swarming into Olivander's store, jinxing any who were brave enough to fight back. It was her duty to put up a defense, exactly what Moody had trained her for, but she simply couldn't get through. The alley was too packed and everyone had lost control. She felt a hand grab at her shirt but it was torn away.

"Get out of the way!" she screamed with all the authority she could muster yet her voice was lost amongst the chaos. She glanced around to see if Remus was near, but couldn't see him anywhere through the crowd or rain.

Someone grabbed at her elbow.

She tried to swing round and pushed them off her, but was instead shoved from behind which jerked her away just the same. Her clothes and hair were now completely soaked through.

As she got closer and closer to the wand shop, she could see the Death Eaters stacking the long, thin boxes in piles. _I have to stop them. _It was the only thing pounding through her mind. _They'll be able to arm hundreds with those wands._

Just as she was about to raise her arm and simply blast her way to the Death Eater clearing, two strong hands pinned her arms to the side in a tight vice. She reflexively jerked forward to free herself but their hold was absolute. Her second instinct was to throw her weight backwards into her assailant, digging her elbows into their abdomen. It was as if they predicted her every move. They used her momentum to pull her back through the crowd towards the edge of the alley.

Ginny suddenly grew desperate, flailing against their body hopelessly. She could tell they were considerably taller than her and judging by how relentlessly they kept a hold must be substantially fit. Neither of these did anything to calm her.

"I'm going to fucking find you, you sick bastard," she growled. Fury at her helplessness was taking hold irrationally.

They twisted her arms round behind her back in excruciating pain. It was all she could do to keep hold of her wand. She couldn't restrain her whimper as they twisted once more.

The whimper turned to a scream as she felt something go horribly wrong with her right shoulder. There was an audible _pop _as her arm was dislocated from the socket. She'd never before felt so much pain and that was saying something.

Her body went close to limp against them as she struggled to take in breath. She couldn't fight anymore, the pain was debilitating. Every twinge sent her body shooting with incomparable agony. Her wand now lay useless on the cobbled stones somewhere below.

She swore she caught a glimpse of Remus' hair and so screamed his name, more desperate than she'd ever been. If she couldn't get away in any the next crucial, fleeting moments, she would probably never have another chance.

"_Remus!"_ Ginny shrieked as people continued to push by her, more concerned with their own survival than attempting to prolong hers.

She could hear his ragged breathing in her left ear.

In one last burst of effort she tried to stamp down as hard as she could to crush his feet while jerking her head backwards to hopefully make contact with his own.

Nothing worked. She was entirely at his mercy.

Suddenly he was there, making his way towards her, wand drawn. He got through the escaping pedestrians with a greater ease than she had, using his force with much less apprehension.

The man had almost gotten her pulled into the space between the Magical Menagerie and Gambol & Japes when Remus was finally there in front of her. All three of them froze as if in a tableau.

"This stops now," Remus said in a cold, dangerous tone. One she had only ever heard him use once before. Water dripped from his hair down onto his face, robes hanging heavily off his tense form.

Ginny had no idea what was going to happen. Most of the alley had gotten clear by then. Death Eaters were disapparating, their arms laden with the boxes of wands. One of them shouted to another. In that split second when Remus' eye flickered to the front of Olivander's, Ginny was shoved violently forward. Remus caught her with both arms, not able to shoot a spell off in enough time to stop the man from disappearing.

At that moment he was the only thing keeping her upright. She clenched the front of his shirt tightly with her good arm, choking on the sobs she tried to hold in check. Tears streaked down her already wet cheeks. Ginny had never been a crier, but the pain and adrenalin were too overwhelming. Remus lowered her gently to the ground so he could tend to her shoulder. Her pants soaked through quickly but she barely noticed.

"D-did you get a good look at him?" she asked through chattering teeth.

"No, his was face was covered," he replied distractedly. "He wasn't wearing their robes though."

It was then that the Aurors showed up, apparating into the alley, wands drawn, prepared for a fight they were too late to have. Some went to the wrecked wand shop to put out the fires and find Mr. Olivander while the rest of them rounded up the very few remaining witnesses.

A pair of Aurors Ginny had never met before came over to them at the sound of her strangled yelp. With her shoulder reset, she hastily wiped the tears from her face and smoothed out the wrinkle in Remus' shirt made by her clenched fist. She gave him a watery smile.

It was all he could do to not gather her back up in his arms and hold her until she was alright. Instead he helped her back to her feet.

"Have you been injured, ma'am?" the shorter, portlier agent asked her robotically and the only thing Ginny could think of was how he'd ever passed his physical assessment.

When she failed to respond, Remus stepped in. "She had a dislocated shoulder, but it's been reset so she should be fine," he reassured. Neither Auror looked happy.

"I believe my partner was talking to the lady," the other one threw back, giving Remus a dirty scowl. Having spent a lifetime dealing with officials and their discourteous behaviours at his affliction, he shut his mouth and ignored the insult.

On the other hand...

"I believe _my friend_ has just answered his question," Ginny snapped. It was obvious from their attitude, performance and failed protocol that these men were both some of Fudge's new recruits. Their only asset being absolute loyalty to him and whoever held his leash. Add that to the fact that she was not about to stand for rudeness of any sort directed at the very dear man who had most likely just saved her life.

It was clear neither of them took kindly to being spoken to in any sort of tone.

"Could we get your names?" Shorty asked.

"_Agent_ Ginevra Weasley," she replied and they started for a minute, discovering who she was. It didn't much improve their expressions though.

"Remus Lupin," he offered and they turned towards him.

"You're a registered werewolf, is that correct?" Ginny looked to Remus, sensing his discomfort simmering just below the surface. Apparently he had better control of himself than she did because she was struggling hard not to lash out at the new agent's arrogance.

"Yes," he answered curtly and for then, that was that. The rest of the conversation was spent with their attentions turned completely to Ginny.

"We'd like you to tell us what happened here," the taller man commanded.

Ginny obliged. "We were coming from the Leaky Cauldron when an explosion went off. There were no less than four, no more than seven of them in total," she approximated, not having been close enough to get a precise count.

"They got into Olivander's by blasting apart the front window. The crowd lost control, everyone wanted to get away from the threat. That's why neither of us could get to the store in time. They must have gotten over a hundred wands in the end. Your team showed up just in time to miss all the action," she added with a hint of accusation. She knew that the very instant Death Eaters had been sighted in the alley the Ministry had been alerted. It wasn't ignorance that had kept them so long. And it definitely wasn't a coincidence that she couldn't spot a single one of Kingsley's agents around.

"Did you engage any of the Death Eaters, Agent Weasley?" they asked but she shook her head in the negative.

"I already told you, I couldn't get through."

"Would you like to tell me how you sustained your injuries?"

"I got pushed to the ground in the turmoil." The lie came out of her easily but she had to keep her face turned from Remus. Even without seeing him she could feel his eyes boring into her.

"I would like to take a look at your wand," Shorty requested. The two Aurors shared a look to say they suspected her of a more involved part.

"I lost it," she remembered suddenly, looking around the street for it. _Please don't be trampled, _she prayed. She definitely didn't have the money to pay for another and Olivander didn't exactly look like he was going to be in business for the next little while.

"Accio wand!" Remus called and both of the Aurors tensed, as if expecting him to lash out. _Pathetic, _she thought as Remus reached out to hand her unbroken wand back. She tried to take it from him but Shorty interceded. He checked her wand to see for the last spell she cast then handed it over, disappointed.

"Satisfied?" she asked snidely, knowing they could find nothing incriminating about a cleaning charm.

They asked a few more pointless questions before allowing them to leave. She took Remus' arm and apparated back to her apartment.

As soon as they were alone once more her fear returned. Having not enough incentive anymore to keep up an unperturbed mask, the chills took to her. She shivered as the cold set in, hands clammy and numb though not from the rain.

"You want to tell me what that was about?" Remus' voice came from beside her. It was quiet, emphasizing the empty silence of her home.

"They work for the Minister," she told him hoping it would be enough.

"You all work for the Minister, Ginevra."

"Not all of us report directly to him though," she said. "Do you think it's going to make any difference if his puppeteer hears about everything that's happening to me?" Ginny put to him in exasperation. She'd already experienced a big, fat _no_ on that count_. _If Voldemort's people are interesting in her _and _in control of Fudge, it stood to reason that keeping them just as misinformed as possible was to her benefit.

_"_What do you mean _everything that's happening_?" he unexpectedly asked and for a moment her mind went blank. She realized with a nasty start that she'd been omitting certain recent events from more than one important person in her life. If she hadn't hesitated for so long with such a guilty face she could have gotten away with a stretch of the truth to keep on delaying the confession. Ginny felt worse for even considering that option.

She told him about the break-in and the two times she'd been followed, leaving out the bit with the ring. Remus gaped at her in alarm.

"And you don't think this is serious enough to merit any more precaution? To bring this to someone else's attention?" he steamed.

"What do you think is going to happen if I do that?" she snapped defensively. "Voldemort owns Fudge. I'm sure I could spin my story for _any_ Head of Department to take all kinds of interest, but where would that put them? If Voldemort or his followers have any interest in me they would have the perfect opportunity to post another one of his own men to follow me day and night. They would no longer have to follow this charade in keeping under the radar either because everything would be by the books. Who would be able to protest that? Certainly not me: the one in disfavour asking for help." Kingsley had just as much told her the very same thing.

Remus fumed. _She's being reckless, _he thought, _just like she was as a child. _And that's exactly what he told her.

They argued for a few more minutes before he left, irate at her nonchalant behaviour towards her own safety.

Alone in her home, she went to the freezer and pulled out the scotch. Dropping two ice-cubes into her only clean tumbler, she threw back a generous swig to steady the shakes in her hands and legs. No matter how much she'd wanted to defend herself, Ginny wished more than anything that she would have held her tongue. By herself was the last thing she wanted to be.

With such a storm of emotion hanging over her head and the absolute shame at having broken Remus' confidence in her, she whipped her glass impulsively at the wall, relishing in the destruction that followed. How the shattered pieces so reflected her broken mood. She bit her knuckle to stop herself from screaming out at the newly remembered injury in her now swelling shoulder. Hot tears blurred her vision.

She went to the washroom to towel dry her hair before stripping out of her wet things and sliding under her blankets. She left the lights on in the kitchen with her wand clenched tight while her mind raced into the past.

Ginny couldn't help but think of the last time she'd fought with Remus. _He'd wanted me to be less reckless then as well. _

One night when they lived together at Grimmauld Ginny had had a particular traumatic day at the hospital which ended with her out on a bender. One of many from those days. She'd gotten too drunk at the Smoking Caterpillar, so much that Maslow took her wand away to prevent her from splinching herself.

He sent Remus an owl to tell where she was and he showed up to bring her home. As soon as they got back to the townhouse he was giving her a lecture on her self-destructive nature. He accused her of running away from her own grief and if he hadn't touched on such a sensitive nerve she might not have thrown his own argument so cruelly back at him.

It was that night that she'd had a mirror held up to her life which made her realize just how far out of control she'd let herself go. She regretted all the hurtful things that had come out of her mouth, just the same as him. Neither ever spoke a word of the argument afterwards but there was a mutually agreed forgiveness.

Ginny moved out on her own three weeks later and abstained from drinking for a year. Remus took up a position in Scotland, travelling all throughout the North.

Her eyelids finally drifted shut well after the day's first light. Her last thought before falling asleep was_, I'm going to have to explain to my brothers... _

**TBC**

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><p><span>Author's note:<span> There we have it. I would just like to say I'm sorry if all my characters sound very "American", I'm from Canada so that would explain it! Anyways, we're getting to the meat of the story now! Things are going to get hectic. Next chapter should be up before the next week is out! Reviews are always most welcome.

Cheers.


	11. The Invitation

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the wonderful world of Harry Potter. If I owned Remus Lupin or Draco Malfoy… I would have better things to do than write fanfiction ;).

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><p><strong>Chapter Eleven<strong>

"Could you point me to Kingsley Shaklebolt's office?" Remus asked the older witch who'd stopped to see if she could help him.

It had been many years since he'd last been inside the Ministry building, since the night Bellatrix Lestrange had murdered his last living childhood friend.

But that wasn't the only dark memory he had of the place.

Remus hated it, hated the whole institution of the Ministry of Magic's government. Ever since his registration after the attack when he'd been just a small, seven year old boy, when the traumas inflicted on his parents couldn't seem to get any worse, they were further rewarded with fear, paranoia and the deepest prejudice. His father was forced to shut down his printing press when they'd moved to the country so Remus could make his transformations without endangering anyone or being hunted by superstitious Muggles. After then no one wanted to hire his father for fear of their families falling into their own disfavour with Greyback. Even in spite of the crimes committed again the Lupins and the innocence of the victims, they were ostracized and left to fend for themselves in a world that felt revulsion towards their young boy's new nature.

"Ah, Mr. Lupin wasn't it? How can I help you?" Kingsley greeted in a distant, cordial tone as if the two were not close acquaintances. They never knew who might be listening.

Once the door was closed he restarted more familiarly. "Remus, how are you?" Kingsley went round his desk and motioned for him to sit.

"Did you hear of yesterday's raid?" Remus inquired, certain that he had but wanting to broach the topic quickly.

Kingsley's expression turned dark. "It was a complete disaster. We would have been there the minute the alarm was raised if Fudge hadn't passed his newest regulation. Agents are no longer permitted into the field without direct approval from the Minister's office," he elaborated with disgust.

"That must be why they've come out so boldly," Remus realized, having wondered about the audacity of an attack in public during the day. _They'd known Fudge would give them all the time they needed._

"That delay cost us near two hundred wands," Kingsley confessed miserably. "Ollivander's was their target."

"Yes, I know," Remus confided, "I was there when they appeared in the alley."

Kingsley was unmistakeably surprised.

"Did you engage any of them?"

Remus shook his head. "Not for lack of trying. I was a little preoccupied," he added significantly. Kingsley gave him a onceover, waiting for him to continue.

"I want to talk to you about Ginevra," said Remus finally. Kingsley was entirely unruffled.

"You aren't the only one," he returned.

"She was with me last night when the attack broke out," Remus explained.

For a moment the slightest of bemused expressions flickered across his features. "Let me guess: she did not sit back idly to wait for a team to show up."

Kingsley had known the girl nearly as long as he did. But then again, anyone who'd known her a week would have been safe assuming the same.

"No, she didn't and I'm sure Ginevra would have taken a few of them out if she could have gotten through," Remus paused before continuing. "Someone tried to grab her first."

Kingsley took a moment to gather his thoughts. "You know for a fact they were trying to get to her? It wasn't a hostage situation, thinking they could use a Weasley or known Auror as protection?" he wondered aloud.

"No," Remus answered with certainty, "I don't even think the man was with the others. He was dressed as a civilian, a rather shabby one at best. He seemed totally unconcerned by their business. I wager they saw the moment of panic and took the advantage it offered. But whatever his or his superior's intent, Ginevra was, without doubt, the target."

Kingsley sat back in his seat more regretful than shocked. Remus came to a sudden understanding.

"How much do you know about this?" he asked quietly, working to keep the tone of accusation from his voice.

Kingsley did not hesitate to fill him in. Last they spoke, Albus revealed tom him that he suspected, in the near future, his explicit trust in the man before him would be paramount to leading the Order. Albus had not been wrong yet.

"For some time now Ginevra's been showing up on radars across the board," he began and Remus couldn't help feel that this conversation was going to be a reflection of his last with Albus. "She burned the Death Eaters badly, leaving Fudge no choice but to get her out of the office. It didn't make any difference that everyone who ever knew or worked with her had gotten in a complete uproar over her so obviously corrupted dismissal. He's been replacing anyone who speaks out too loudly against him with Malfoy's people. Scrimgeour's been absolutely livid over the interference in his department but he's smart enough to know he's not going to do any good by giving Fudge reason to replace him as Head of the Auror Department."

"She came to you, didn't she?" Remus asked, turning the focus back to what he'd wanted to learn, but he already knew the answer.

Kingsley gave a sigh. "It would seem Ginevra's got a tail on her," he explained. "Someone's trying to keep track of her, find out as much as they can. Someone _very _interested."

Remus didn't know what to think.

"After her apartment was broke into, her brother put a request in for her to have additional protection around her home but it was denied. Her wards have been upgraded, but other than that, the Ministry would crack down mercilessly on her if Fudge thought she was taking advantage of their resources."

Too late Remus understood Ginny's reservations about the use in going in for help. _She's already been turned away one too many times._

"This is the first they've moved openly against her," he continued, "so no matter how we look at it, our enemies are now moving forward towards their ultimate goal."

"You think Ginevra has some part to play in their end game?" he speculated, having not enough insight to imagine what possible purpose they could have in pursuing her. Albus hadn't been able to give him an answer on that account either so he doubted Kingsley could offer him anything more.

"I think it would be naïve to rule out any possibilities at this point," he replied heavily.

Having known each other for so long, both could sense they were reaching the end of the conversation's rope.

Remus rose from his seat and Kingsley came round the other side of his desk to let him out. They shook each others' hands after bidding their farewells. Kingsley made to open the door but stopped with his hand resting on the knob.

"Have you considered Albus' request?" Kingsley asked quietly. When he and Albus spoke last, the older man had impressed upon him Remus' self-conscious uncertainty.

"I've considered it," Remus replied reluctantly. It had been pressing on his mind since Albus made the preposition to him at Hogwarts, but he'd gotten no closer to making a decision.

When Kingsley saw that he wasn't going to say more on the subject, he turned the knob to let him out.

"I'll see you on Friday," Remus murmured so as not to let any unfriendly ears hear. He left Kingsley's office without a backwards glance, retracing his steps to the lift.

Remus couldn't help thinking that Kingsley and Albus weren't taking Ginevra's situation with the gravity it deserved. _If someone on the other side is so obviously interested in her, she needs to be taken out of the line of fire completely._ Remus wanted to tell them both that pushing her to the side was not enough anymore.

He entered the lift which held one other person, a young man in Ministry robes. As they headed down towards the Atrium he caught the man glancing at him more than once. When he finally caught Remus giving him a hard stare, he looked away purposefully.

He couldn't help wonder if this man knew who he was and whether the news of his being inside the building would make its way up to the top.

_Paranoia's getting you, _he thought to himself, sliding out of the lift into the Atrium. _This is what Ginny was so afraid of, _he conceded. _If only I'd shut up and listened to what she was trying to say... _He'd thought at the time that he'd been so furious at her for having so little trust in them all but he now understood that it was because of the danger he thought she was intentionally ignoring. _I just thought she was being reckless, not caring about her own safety. _By the time he got in line to use the outgoing Floo, he realized what an ass he'd made of himself last night, assuming she'd reverted back to her self-destructive ways because he'd been too ignorant to see the totality of her situation.

The guilt weighed despondently on him.

Feeling a need to be someplace other than his empty apartment but also where he wouldn't be bothered, he enunciated his destination before throwing the powder at the fireplace and stepping into the rush of green flames.

Just as he suspected, the Leaky Cauldron was nearly cleared out. Other than a pair of goblins in the far corner and a warlock snoozing by the bar, Tom's pub was still. Death Eater attacks were a sure deterrent to the general public. As a werewolf he more often than not removed himself from that generality and so there he was.

Tom brought him over a cup of mulled mead before heading back behind the bar. He didn't ask anything about yesterday's events even though he'd seen them in there minutes before. Working in the pub for so long, he could sense when people were interested in conversation and when they weren't.

He sipped the spiced beverage, allowing the warmth to spread through his chest. The weather had not improved since yesterday and it matched his mood most fittingly.

It was at that moment, deep in thought about reconciling his presumptions with Ginevra when someone came in from the back entrance. Of all people to not grace the pub that afternoon, the subject of his inner turmoil's closest friend went to the bar to say hello to Tom.

Being a fourth of all the occupants in the pub, she spotted him immediately after being handed a cup on a saucer with a small pot of tea.

"Lupin," she called despite his insistences over the years to use his first name. Old habits die hard.

"Luna," he greeted, motioning for her to take up the empty seat opposite him, "how are you?" he asked genuinely. He may not have been in the most loquacious of attitudes, but he wasn't about to stoop and take it out on others.

"I'm as good as can be," said Luna, pouring herself the tea, "though I can't say the same thing for Mr Ollivander."

Remus made a noncommittal nod, for the present moment unwilling to bring up his own involvement. Though he realized she might already know his part if she'd talked to Ginny that morning. It was only natural she would have gone to her friend for comfort after the things she went through. _After I treated her like a petulant child. _It was all he could do not to hit his head on the table.

"I've come in to take a look at the place and ask around," she explained. "I want to put in a piece to follow up the gloss-over that the Prophet offered in this morning's edition." As editor she rarely submitted any of her own reporting for the Quibbler, but with an incident this consequential, she just couldn't allow the Ministry to enforce such dangerous ignorance on her own community. _Not when I'm in such a position to remedy their intentional failings, _she'd thought to herself on numerous occasions, especially over the last few months.

Unfortunately for her though, all her reporters were too nervous to go where the Ministry so didn't want anyone to pry. Luna knew the risks and was entirely cognoscente about her responsibilities.

"I look forward to reading it," Remus offered sincerely. He had great respect for what the girl had done with her father's legacy, turning the Quibbler into one of the most reliable sources of wizarding news in Britain.

Remus had a feeling that it would be in his best interest to turn the conversation elsewhere lest he be asked to give his own accounting. He wanted to ask if she'd spoken to Ginny today and whether she was alright after being so shaken up last night. _I shouldn't have left her alone_, he accused for perhaps the fifth time that day.

Before he had a chance to voice his question in as innocent a manner as possible (thinking Luna might be as forgiving of him as he was to himself), she beat him to it.

"Have you spoken to Ginny?" she asked unexpectedly, as if pulling the question from mind. "I don't mean to be intrusive or a gossip but I went to her place this morning," she informed as he was sure she would have. He could tell something heavy was weighing on her. "It's been years since I've seen her this withdrawn."

Remus tried not to let guilt overcome his face. He had a sick sense of playing a role in her current state. Or at least having pushed it towards the wrong side of the cliff.

"Did she say anything to you a few nights past?" Luna enquired, gluing her bright blue eyes to his incredulous expression. He remembered quite well Ginevra's confession at having not told anyone that she'd escaped the bar to spend the evening on his roof. Luna, sensing his wonder at her disclosure, elaborated.

"Ginny had to leave when we went out a few nights ago, something got her totally worked up," she explained. He remembered the state she'd been in when she showed up, though he still only had a partial picture of what had gotten her there. "I wanted to stop by her apartment to make sure she really was alright but when Neville and I showed up it was obvious she wasn't in." She flashed him a knowing smile and Remus suddenly remembered just how disconcertingly intuitive Xenophilius Lovegood's daughter could be.

"Well, uh..." he wasn't quite quick enough to explain why the girl's best friend bailed out on her birthday to spend time with him. He was still a little shaky on the details himself.

"If Ginny didn't want to be alone, she ran away from most of her go-to options at the bar. That pretty much only left her parents, the twins and you; though I would trust myself in saying I highly doubt she was looking for familial comfort." Luna watched Remus Lupin's guarded expression with a keen interest. _Maybe I was wrong in pushing her towards Dean, _she considered, amazed at having not perhaps seen certain other possibilities.

"She was in a gloom when she showed up, talking about work and the Ministry. I think lately she's been thinking back on the war with all this spare time on her hands," he admitted, her having told him much the same. He didn't know how he felt about divulging his and her discussion but he knew for a fact Luna's intention towards her were of the highest account.

"Well Dean and I met at her place this morning to take her out for breakfast, but we caught her coming in from seeing her brothers," Remus realized he should probably stop in and talk to the twins himself. _Not just now, _he conceded, _maybe a little later. _

Suddenly he came under the impression that Luna had absolutely no idea that Ginny had even been in the area during the attack. Remus made no presumptions as to why she wanted to keep it from her closest friend, though he'd been coming to terms lately with her guarded nature. _She has the right to her own counsel, _he admitted to himself after the day's alterations on his own perceptions. _If only I'd respected that yesterday, Luna and I might not be having this conversation. _

Ginny hadn't mentioned Dean once that night, but having seen them together at Hogsmede and Luna's narration, he surmised they must be an item. He had a strange moment of knowing he should feel pleased for her having someone to perhaps make her not so alone, but the feelings never surfaced.

"It was obvious to see she wasn't terribly eager to host us and she was in no mood for going out to eat, which, knowing that _entire_ family, was signal enough." This elicited a small smile from the two of them.

Luna's face turned hard once more as she continued. "Here is the part that leaves me to suspect something is very wrong with her," she paused to finish off her tea, reminding Remus of his own mead in front of him. "Ginny told us that she was going to the Burrow for dinner next Saturday and wouldn't be able to go out with Dean, having not spent much time with her parents lately. I didn't think anything of it until Dean left when she confided in me that she was actually going to meet Harry and just didn't want Dean to know she was meeting up with her old flame, platonic or not."

Remus obviously didn't understand the total significance of the revelation. He assumed that's the same reason why she also hadn't told Dean about coming to see him.

Luna wasn't sure whether she should also impress upon him the unusual nature of Ginny accepting any form of private invitation from Harry, the individual she'd worked so hard to distance herself from over the last five years. _Just last week she was on about having to talk to him in her apartment._

"Even that story had the ring of plausibility to it and I once more put it from my mind," she explained. "If I hadn't just spoken with my husband who tells me that Harry invited him to get dinner and see a film with him and Ron, I might still believe that that is who she was spending her evening with." _But why, _she wondered, _would she change her story for me to something even less likely? _

After the presentation of facts Remus couldn't deny that Ginny's actions were suspicious. _A lie covering a lie to cover another lie… _Something about it was just too contrary to her character for him to find it entirely credible.

Luna watched as his thoughts flickered over his features. _He doesn't have any more insight than I do, _she realized dismally_. _"Well I won't put a damper on your solitary quiet any longer," she said, gathering herself together. She still had to head back to the office and get to work on that article if she wanted it in print tomorrow.

She smiled at the flustered expression on his face after her unexpected declaration of departure. "It was good to run into you," she said as she stood and collected her dishes, "I only hope our next meet won't be devoted to the scandals of Ginny's elusive calendar," she added with a small laugh. Remus gave a weak smile, his mind still occupied by the oddity of the conversation.

He bid her a belated birthday before she brought her used dishes to the bar for Tom.

Luna Flooed to her office wondering whether the depth of care and concern she found in Remus' eyes would be reflected back in Ginny's for him.

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><p>Ginny rubbed her hands together anxiously. The day had been deceptively warm, not hinting at the coming evening's chill. She stuffed both hands under her armpits, watching her breath escape in visible clouds.<p>

She was getting to the point of just stepping inside the Hog's Head and waiting for him there but his note had been adamant she met him out front. _Merlin only knows what I'm doing here, _she though pessimistically for the innumerable time that week. Ginny hadn't even known whether she was actually going to show up until the night before, having changed her mind so often since she got his letter. _Especially at the Hog's Head nonetheless. _

Ever since the evening in Diagon Alley, Ginny had spent her time locked up in her apartment. Despite Luna, Dean and Hermione constantly dropping by to "check up", she hadn't spoken to anyone about what had happened. After her argument with Remus, it wasn't likely she was going to bring it up again.

Ginny didn't know if she'd be able to keep up her pretense of detachment in front of an audience, especially when she could barely keep it up when she was alone.

When she got the letter from Harry on Monday she'd been skeptical about replying, especially with hers and Dean's conversation so fresh in her mind. Something about the urgency in his request made her wonder if it might not be something other than his usual discourse.

So that's how she ended up outside the Hog's Head on that Saturday night.

She spotted a group of third or fourth year Hufflepuff girls chatting away carelessly as they made their way towards the Three Broomsticks, arms laden with their day's purchases. How she envied them and their simple youth.

The sky was losing the last of its pink, evening glow, fading to a clear, dark indigo. She had to resist the urge to glance at her watch every few minutes.

Harry was late.

She leaned against the building, closing her eyes. She hadn't had a proper night's sleep since Luna's birthday. If it wasn't her own anxiety keeping her from closing her eyes, it was the landscapes she drifted into when she finally gave in.

Ginny had been up for more than one sunrise last week. _I'm going to the apothecary tomorrow, _she told herself so that she could pick up some supplies and brew her own Dreamless Sleep draught.

The sound of students walking by started to lull her into a quiet daze. She was practically asleep on her feet when the memory of Diagon Alley resurfaced. Ginny could practically hear the sound of the glass shattering from the explosion in Ollivander's.

She remembered the screams with vivid clarity. It was almost as if―

Her eyes snapped open at the smell of smoke. The screams had started to move towards her. Ginny turned to the right, seeing a building in the distance overcome with flames. The fire was already spreading to the building beside it.

For a moment she froze at the scene, feeling as if she'd walked straight into a war flashback. _Not again, _she cried internally as she pushed against the wall. The main street was filling with smoke as students and residents poured out of the respective buildings at the sounds of the younger students' cries of fear.

Ginny opened her mouth to shout out to the fleeing students to keep calm when she was gagged from behind. Someone had tied a piece of cloth tight around her head, choking her as she tried to scream against it. She elbowed them hard in the ribs and threw her head back, connecting with their nose. Ginny couldn't believe how foolish she'd been to let herself be taken by surprise once again.

He grunted as his nose crushed beneath her skull, blood dripping down the back of her neck. Ginny began to twist out of his grasp when a dark bag was pulled around her head, blinding her. The man behind gripped it tight about her neck so that with the gag in her mouth, she couldn't take in another breath. Her arms reached up to claw the heavy material as she was dragged backwards by the throat.

The nightmares she'd been having all week were now coming to life.

Her legs no longer supported her as her brain grew more and more oxygen deprived. Her legs thrashed out before her as her body was pulled through the dirt road. She started to go limp as her lungs began to burn and her mind grew sluggish. They stopped for a moment while he repositioned his arms to improve his leverage.

She heard the sound of a door being opened before she was dragged a number of steps, her ankles hitting each level painfully. Even in the dark of her blindfold, stars started appearing before her eyes. Her arms fell lifelessly to her sides as the ground levelled out beneath her.

Consciousness was slipping away from her when she was lifted under her armpits and placed in a creaking chair. Her head lolled sideways as her arms were tied behind her.

Suddenly the bag over her head was ripped off. Ginny tried to take in a few heavy gasps but the gag was just as restrictive as it'd been. Instead she settled for slow, desperate inhales through her nose.

Ginny looked around the room blearily, desperate to set eyes on her captor. Her senses were completely out of focus but she caught the sound of a sink turning on behind her to the left. She tried to turn her head to keep her enemy in sight, but he was just out of view.

Upon inspection of her surroundings she found herself in a kitchen. _Must be inside one of the homes off the main way, _she realized with foreboding, afraid to learn what had befallen the original occupants.

She jumped at the sound of a soft _snap _and a low hiss of pain followed by a fist hitting down on wood. She tried to wiggle as subtly as possible to feel for her wand in her back pocket under her coat.

"It's not there," came a rasping voice.

Ginny managed to garble a form of accusation through her gag but there was no reply. She heard shuffling behind her and the creaking of the floorboards as the man shifted his weight. The hairs on her whole body stood on end at the feel of his proximity, his breath on the nape of her neck. The cloth in her mouth caught her shuddering breath as he undid the knot and loosed the material from her mouth. By then her nerves had been so electrified that her rage deflated. Instead she was filled with mute fear.

The shuffling continued again until finally he appeared out of her periphery.

It was as if the outside world dropped away when he started to speak.

Ginny finally came to know what those last few months had done to Edward Donahue.

**TBC**

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><p><span>Author's note:<span> Well this took much longer than predicted. AND I WILL TELL YOU WHY. Because I am awful and got buckets full of writers block after THIS EXACT MOMENT IN THE CHAPTER. You may notice that this one is quite a bit shorter than the others but I WILL TELL YOU WHY. Pretty much when I started back up with it a few weeks ago, it just kept going and going and going! By the time I got to 9500 words and still wasn't done I realized I needed to chop it in half. This one is more of a filler because the finale was pushed into it's own chapter. So, pt. 2 is a scene or two away from being done and will be out as soon as possible! It's going to be a fun, action filled adventure!

I hope all you who celebrate Halloween are having a good one! Thanks for the patience, lovely fans. Hope you enjoyed the twisty-twist. Their conversation that starts off the next chapter was a real pain to get through so I hope it does your wait justice.

Cheers!


	12. The Burning Village

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the wonderful world of Harry Potter. If I owned Remus Lupin or Draco Malfoy… I would have better things to do than write fanfiction ;).

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><p><strong>Chapter Twelve<strong>

It was no wonder that she hadn't recognized him immediately. The initial uncertainty made the revelation all the more grisly. The sight of his pallid, emaciated form brought the night's cold into her blood. His skin hung off his shrunken frame much like his tattered threads of a cloak: filthy, worn and ill-fitting, stretched tight in the wrong places yet leaving too much room for the skeleton inside. The hem was caked in dirt from being dragged behind or getting tangled under his mismatched boot heels. From that angle, the frayed remains of a hood were just visible.

"They kept me below the house. They kept me in the basement," he began, moving nervously round the room like a penned animal.

While Ginny's outlook on reality was busy playing catch-up, Edward continued on with his recount. After every sentence he became increasingly more animated, pacing across the kitchen, arms raised to emphasize every declaration of the inhumanities he suffered.

Ginny's initial reaction to the jarring revelation was to try and reach out to sooth and care for his tortured body and tormented soul, but she'd so successfully conditioned herself not to give in to those impulsive emotional responses. She'd spent enough time at St. Mungo's working with the traumatized patients who had fought or lost loved ones in the war. Hours behind a desk filing enough reports during the early days in the department to understand how unpredictable someone could become. Also, she was tied up.

Over the last few years the country saw a drastic rise in the number of instances when a witch or wizard's mental deterioration led them to harm themselves or those around them. Ginny remembered the lengthy conversation she had with Kingsley one night after a meeting at Grimmauld when she asked him how Fudge could reasonably expect people to believe the flimsy stories he was commissioning for the Prophet to cover up the tragedies. She'd only been in the program for two months and had already become known for her questioning the authoritarian protocols trickling down from the top. That night Kingsley had laid out the way their positions needed to be handled and she quickly learned the method of least satisfaction: passivity.

` She watched Edward warily as he brandished her wand with every arc of his narration. The more worked up he became, the more his tremors increased in frequency and violence. She had no idea what he'd been through. Had no way of gauging his purpose in bringing her there or why he, unlike any of the others, had gotten free from the Death Eaters.

Ginny let him continue his narrative lest any interruption alarm and push his already disturbed mind over the edge. She didn't know what harm he intended her, especially when her thoughts went back to the last conversation they'd had (as it so often did). It was highly unlikely that he bound and disarmed her for her own wellbeing.

"No one talked to me for a long time. I was like a dog, a bad dog," he confessed with a shudder, one which Ginny struggled not to return. For weeks after she learnt what had happened on his last mission, she was kept awake nights imagining his probable and miserable fate only to now have every one of her worst assumptions proven. "They made me their pet," he said with a shrill titter that bordered on a hysterical sob.

"You should have heard how they laughed when I clawed for the scraps they threw in my cell. How I licked the crumbs from the soiled stones of my cage." He grew eerily still while gazing out the window to Ginny's left. Desperately she wanted to free herself and join the fray, knowing that the Death Eaters would have certainly warded the town off from contacting the castle. Any attempt to signal the Ministry for aid would certainly prove just as ineffectual as it had in Diagon Alley. She took a deep, steadying breath in through her nose while closing her eyes for just a moment to get a hold of herself. Her head was filling to the brim with images of his degradation. She felt little more than revulsion.

It was all she could do not to scream when she opened them again. He was crouching not three feet from her, eyes level with her own. In contrast to his raving, trembling, animated performance, her instincts told her this new stillness brought with it malice and danger.

"I thought about you." His eyes rarely blinked. Instead they gleamed sickly in the kitchen's dim candle lighting.

With this increased proximity she got an even better glimpse of the toll the abuses left on his body. The red rims around his once mesmerizing blue irises made his eyes appear to bulge out of his skull. Combined with the tightened, colourless skin stretched over his gaunt face, Edward was little more than a walking Inferius.

She tried to see in his expression a familiarity with the man she'd once been so intimately linked, but she could hardly bear to match his immovable gaze. _There's nothing left_. Even his hair had lost most of its life: scattered patches were missing while the rest was hacked away unevenly. What was once auburn now seemed an ashen brown. _I have to get out of here, _she reminded herself once more, knowing for certain just how unstable Edward was and how likely he would be to snap. She could have sworn his spirited tirade had shot sparks from her wand earlier.

While he continued his account of his time in captivity, Ginny began to better survey her surroundings for even the smallest possible advantage. It was then that he said something to completely regain her attention.

"They treated me well when I told them stories. They were always most interested when I spoke about my life," he added. The dark clouds roared with thunder inside her head.

She'd known the probability of him being used for information, as had everyone else. Part of finishing the Auror program was to pass multiple levels of deception to withhold any kind of knowledge. There were even classes where they had to resist the Imperious Curse and various truth serums. But there was no program to prepare you for torture.

They'd taken from him everything he had. _He must have told them something they really wanted or they wouldn't have let him go_. It hadn't taken her long to figure that he wouldn't have been able to organize his own freedom in his state. He didn't even have a wand until now. This did nothing to sooth her panic. Even the Death Eaters had been wary about giving him one of their hundreds of acquired wands.

Ginny listened quietly to his continued reminiscence, making mental notes here and there for the future (in hopes that she had one). He often mentioned a man, only ever referred to as _the lord._ She more than once had to smother a smirk at the vanity within the Death Eater ranks. Titles to do with Blood Status or ones that passed solely through the Pureblood lines had long ago been exorcized from the elitist classes of wizarding society. At the top of the stack, she knew Voldemort's followers addressed him by that affectation, but Edward's scattered descriptions let her know he spoke of someone else. If she hadn't been in such an unpredictable situation, she could easily imagine snickering with her coworkers at a Death Eater's egotism to give himself his own title. Without even thinking, a handful of names with enough pomp popped into her head. But she didn't dare dwell on anything too far from the room lest he once again catch her so unaware.

"The lord soon found no more use for me. I was stripped of my purpose so he passed me off to his children to play with."

The thunder turned to lightning as she tried to account for his statement's oddity. Fire seemed to spread to her feet and back again at the possibility. _ The missing children! He may have seen them! _

"You saw where they were?" she asked softly so as not to alarm.

He turned to her clumsily as if only just remembering she was there. His mouth opened and closed, struggling to form even a simple response. It must have been months since he'd heard the voice of someone who'd been a part of his life before he was taken. As Ginny watched his features rearrange themselves again and again, she considered that it might have been better if she held her tongue.

"I remember it was dark," he hesitated, almost as if afraid to bring back the memories. She understood completely, and even though the horrors hadn't been inflicted on her, most of her still had no desire to hear any further. It was only her gut instinct that she was closer than anyone in the country had ever been to discovering what Voldermort's people had done with the missing survivors that kept her going.

It took a blend of will and survival instincts not too push him any harder for information, but the last months in captive had already conditioned him to provide it. "There were many of them. Maybe ten, maybe twenty." He turned his back to her and shuffled back over to the window. She almost didn't catch what he said next.

"They were so hungry…" Something in the way he shuddered made her wonder if there wasn't something more wrong with them than starvation. She hesitated to interrupt but he continued. "It had been a while since anyone had been brought for them." _Brought for what?_ A nauseating suspicion crept up her throat.

Edward rubbed the backs of his arms anxiously. Ginny was brought back to the most pressing matter at hand when a renewed chorus of shouts came from the street followed by the unmistakeable sound of wood being blown apart. The fight was flooding up the street to their position.

"Do you remember the city they held you?" she pressed against her initial plan, wishing beyond all hope that some reason would rekindle some of his Auror instincts. Time was running out.

"They said that I wasn't to ever try and speak with you," he offered instead with a wholly different tone. She caught his eyes darting between the front and back exits.

"It's alright," she reassured levelly, "it's only us here."

She watched his eyes narrow from across the room. It was all she could do to hold her ground and keep from swallowing nervously. Her current situation did little to inspire authority.

"They told me not to make myself known to you," he explained, pulling at his hair anxiously. Ginny wasn't sure what to make of his new edginess.

"For so long I kept a distance, but you were always near..."

A lot of things over the last month finally fit together then.

"You've been following me," she said, more statement than accusation.

"You we're always on your own." He began to chew on the side of his index finger, drawing blood with his front teeth. His statement was like a fist to the stomach. Only then was she really able to see just how much time she'd spent avoiding the people in her life after the dual suspensions. So much so that her mentally traumatized, old boyfriend, stalker-abductor had taken notice.

"I thought a token outside your apartment might serve as a reminder of how I still felt about you but you didn't care. You gave it away like it was nothing!" he seethed, changing from cold to hot with zero transition. _I wanted Ron to show it around and find some answers._ Her mind went through all the daft and improbable theories her and everyone else had come up with for his ring showing up, but none had even been close. Had anyone suggested this to her then, she would not have been amused.

"When I saw him come from your apartment, I could hardly say I was surprised," he told her. She had to think for a moment. _Ron?_

"Don't think I haven't always known of your impartiality towards him. How often did I have to defend your loyalty to everyone who told me how you two were 'meant to be'?" he was practically shouting, his eyes straining from their sockets while a fleck of spittle landed on his chin. _Not Ron, then. _This was obviously not the time to express her exponentially increasing indignation at what Edward (though apparently not just) was implying. She was going to be plagued for the rest of her life by her first ever adolescent relationship. _It just keeps on getting better and better._

"It didn't take long for you to crawl back to him though, did it? I suppose I can't even be sure you two ever parted ways." His face twisted into a hateful sneer which put a match to Ginny's leaking rage. _I've had just about enough of this._

"Stop this, Edward," she commanded in a hard tone. He flinched as if she'd physically struck him. There was something pathetic in his madness. She had a feeling that harsh voices hadn't ever been followed by anything less than pain in his recent days. She started again more softly. "You're sick and hurt, but you don't have to be." She paused for any sign that he might be considering her words. For a second it looked as if he might.

"I was disappointed to see how easy it was to get you here by yourself. All I had to do was use his name to bring you running. Early even."

Ginny didn't bother trying to defend herself against his vehement misconceptions. When they'd been together, she and Edward had been completely open about her history with Harry. They'd even become something of friends after she introduced them both. Someone had obviously put a lot of effort into poisoning his mind against her and The Boy Who Lived. _Three guesses who..._

"After seeing you in Diagon Alley, I knew I had to get to you first. They wouldn't have let a Weasley slip through their fingers. They would have taken you away from me." His body shook at the thought of it.

She remembered the feeling of her arms pinned behind her back and his breath on her neck; the nights she stayed awake, wand in hand. The only thing that had come between her and her current situation had been Remus, but he wasn't coming for her. At this point, no one was. It was a sickening realization that no one in the world knew where she was at that moment. K_arma, this is a little much for lying to my friends._

Something heavy smashed against the outside wall, shaking the structure around them. Edward held her wand up defensively as he moved back in front of the window to inspect, totally occupied with the scene outside. And there it was.

_This might be my only chance. _

Without wasting any of her limited time with consideration, she kicked hard off the legs of the table in front of her. Luckily it was heavy enough to use as an anchor. The chair slid back easily as her back slammed into the counter, crushing her arms. Her heart pounded at the sound of the chair's back splintering against the bruising pressure.

Edward spun around in alarm, too shocked to prepare himself in time. Ginny was on her feet and swinging her entire upper body with a ferocious momentum before he could even raise her wand. She connected the broken chair spindle that her wrists were still tied to with a decisive _crunch. _His eyes widened in disbelief for an instant before he fell lifeless to the floor.

After wrenching his fingers open to regain her wand, Ginny allowed herself a lenient moment of emotional breakdown. At first she could hardly make herself go near again to his motionless body, so perturbed was she by what had been made of him. Eventually she managed to turn him over gently and check the strength of his pulse, but when she pushed away his cloak to reveal his neck, she drew back in horror.

Hardly believing her eyes, she ripped open his tattered shirt to reveal the scarred surface of his entire chest. She swallowed the rising bile in her mouth and covered him up as best she could.

"Oh, Edward," she whispered wretchedly, laying a hand on his fevered brow. She wiped away a stray tear before summoning bandages for his bleeding head. Next she summoned rope to bind him lest he regain consciousness. She left him resting against the wall in a feeble attempt to lessen his discomfort. After all, even after the things he had done, he was still someone she cared for deeply . But when she made to leave, her feet stayed rooted. Instead she bent back down beside him, smoothing his hair away from his face like she might have once done after waking up beside him. Even unconscious his features were twisted and troubled. Before thinking about it, she pressed her lips to his burning flesh, sure that when she pulled away there was some ease in tension, though the reality of that was improbable. The truth of the matter was that Edward was unlikely to ever know peace again.

At last she dried her eyes and moved to the back hall. She considered searching for the home's owners, but judging from the dust and lack of lived-in evidence, she was sure the house was abandoned as many in the village were. After Hogsmeade had been rebuilt, many in the community couldn't bear the memories of the war.

Finding the door she was sure she'd been brought in through, Ginny listened with her ear to it for movement outside until she was finally confident the coast was clear. Luckily her adrenalin was already reaching a peak because the instant she stepped out onto the back porch she was forced to dive into the alleyway, narrowly avoiding her attacker's hex. She hit the ground hard, rolling into a defensive crouch. Immediately she sent a volley of Stunning and Disarming spells to keep them busy while scrambling for shelter.

Her opponent was skilled and didn't let her take advantage of ducking for cover. His curses had her dancing on her toes until she switched up her tactic to one of brutal assault. She threw spell after spell after spell at him so that he could barely get an offensive curse out edgewise, forcing him backwards into the thoroughfare. Her rage at what they'd done to Edward became her driving force. Miraculously, the fire hadn't spread from the second house, but this caused all the shadows to fall on their end of the street, making visibility fairly awkward. But the moon was high and bright, and the cold air was lit with magic.

She was desperate to get even the slightest glimpse of her surroundings. Without knowing where anyone else could be, she was completely vulnerable from every direction. Even more concerned was she with getting eyes on any of the students that had been in the village. As it stood, there was no way she could chance taking both eyes off the man trying his best to kill her.

His best was soon not enough. Ragged clouds of breath poured from his expressionless mask when he took a faltering step over a rut in the road. It only took the one fault for her to get an opening and Stun him in the face. His body landed on the wooden walkway in front of the Hog's Head.

She was quick to get hold of his wand, storing it in her coat pocket. Just to be sure, she ripped the Death Eater mask off his face. His features were unfamiliar. He had a plain face, nothing remarkable in it and hardly a year older than her. _We might have gone to school together. _For a moment she held his mask in her shaking hands, every intention of snapping the grinning, white leer in two.

Any empathy she may have once felt for the young man's fate was smothered entirely by the image of Edward's tortured form burnt into her mind. Her hands stilled as she came up with a better use.

Minutes later she was jogging behind the row of shops and houses parallel to the tall wooden fence that separated the lots facing the main road from the woods. Although the night was cool she was sweating underneath the extra layers.

Her momentum was jarred by a gruff shout from the dark space between buildings that she'd only just passed.

"Oy!" they called out unexpectedly and she spun in her track ready for another conflict. She had to gulp down her insecurity when she spotted him. A huge, muscled bulk of a man emerged into the causeway_. _Ginny gave him a onceover, noting him at once for a fatal opponent. She clenched her wand painfully tight, fingernails digging into her palm.

"Finish your search back here then report to Lestrange. If you find any of them, you know what to do." She most certainly did not but as his impatience seemed to increase by the second, she nodded her head and gave her most masculine grunt. Satisfied, he turned back from where he came.

Ginny let go of the breath she'd been holding, sweeping a hand under her hood to wipe off the thick layer of sweat on her brow. She took that moment of pause to rearrange the heavy Death Eater cloak over her own coat when she heard it.

Adrenalin searing through her entire body, she turned her back against the fence and spread her feet in an offensive stance. There were faint shouts in the distance but she let them fall to the background. She heard it again, the faintest of moans and a soft shuffling of feet on gravel followed by a moment of near unnatural silence. There was someone tucked in that small space with her though she was hard pressed to say where.

Out of the farthest corner of her periphery she caught a slight ripple in the air around the trash bins and bags of garbage that were presumably from the Three Broomsticks.

"_Revelio!"_ she barked, pointing her wand in that direction. Many things happened at once. Where there had been no one before suddenly held a tight cluster of people. She threw up a protection shield quickly to avoid the two Stunners sent her way.

"_Silencio!" _she cast on them all as the beginnings of a shriek started to form. "I'm not going to hurt you," she explained as quickly as possible, tearing off the mask and hood. She lowered her wand lest any of them get it in their minds to run. "My name is Ginevra Weasley; I work in the Auror office under Kingsley Shacklebolt." She rolled up her left sleeve to show them all her unmarked arm. After confirming that they were neither going to attack nor flee from her, she removed the Silencing Spell.

There were five of them in total though only three on their feet. They'd been huddling together under a flimsy Disillusionment Charm that hadn't held for even a moment when she'd cast the Revealing Spell. The eldest, a senior Ravenclaw girl judging by her robes, who'd been the first to try and Stun her did not seem reassured. Instead she held her ground firmly, wand up and a fire in her eyes. Ginny recognized the look for not so long ago she been in much the same position. The two next to her were a year or so younger. A boy with the familiar badger on his robes marked him for a Hufflepuff though the girl next to him could have been from any house. Judging from the subconscious way he edged in front of her protectively, Ginny figured they'd been on a date or together as a couple. Her eyes darted down to the last two, another girl and boy who could be nothing other than third years. The girl was glassy eyed as she supported an unconscious boy with a torn Gryffindor scarf. There were no visible signs of injury though every so often a low moan of pain would escape his lips. It had been him she'd heard.

The questions soon started.

"You're a Weasley?"the fifth year girl asked from behind her partner. She rested a hand on his wand arm for him to lower it. Though it was crucial they believe her, Ginny couldn't help but wonder if this girl was a little too trusting. It wouldn't be much of a challenge to cover up the mark and say she was an Auror. When the boy moved aside, Ginny could see the scorched side of her long blond hair, clearly a souvenir from a recent skirmish.

"Are the Aurors in Hogsmeade?"

"Does Dumbledore know what's happening?"

"Can you help us?" the young girl asked desperately, her lips trembling as she looked down at the quivering boy in her arms.

Only the girl from Ravenclaw stayed quiet.

It hadn't been hard to deduce that she'd been the leader of sorts for the other four. In fact, she'd probably been the one to lead them back there away from the main crowd. She wasn't about to let these kids be put to anymore harm. She was tired though, the fight was taking its toll, but Ginny knew from experience that she was not going to put her wand away just yet.

Four pairs of eyes glued to her avidly, waiting. Waiting for her to tell them her plan. Ginny was coming up short but she knew that she had to do something quick before their fears took over.

"Look, it's just you, me and whoever is left out there," she told them honestly. _We're not going to get anywhere if I sugar coat the situation. _The older boy cursed and the young girl groaned in despair. She continued in a hurry, "but many of the Death Eaters have already gone and no one yet knows were back here."

"Can't you just Apparate us all one at a time?" the young girl asked though the others seemed to all shake their heads.

"There are wards put up around the village so that no one can use magic to get in or out, we'll have to do it ourselves," she explained as softly as she could. Each of their faces looked so dejected and close to succumbing to helplessness that Ginny couldn't waste another moment in inaction. "Our best chance now is to get to the Shrieking Shack." Their expressions went blank.

"There's a tunnel through the basement that leads up to the school grounds. It comes out right underneath the Whomping Willow." She hadn't thought it possible, but the boy's face went even whiter.

"But isn't it haunted?" he asked with a hitch in his voice. The girl beside him looked to be repressing a roll of her eyes.

"I know for a fact that it isn't. Dumbledore put a lot of work into keeping up the rumour though." He still seemed unconvinced so she added, "It's a long and complicated story that I will tell you all once we get out of here," she promised energetically. For not the first time that night, her thoughts drifted to another place. _Remus, where are you? _she wondered, for a second weakening in her resolve. Ginny thought back to the times over the years that he and others had stepped up to be her rescuers, but she made her mind grow hard. She was what these kids had and they needed every part of her in the situation at hand.

"Look, our safest bet would be to get round the village and stay out of sight," she thought that if she could get them out into the surrounding forest, they would have the best chance to avoid any of the Death Eaters still lurking around. "If we can just get over—

"_Do not touch the fence!" _Ginny jumped back at the sharpness of the command. She turned back, alarmed at hearing the Ravenclaw girl's voice for the first time. Her heart pounded in her ears as she withdrew her hand that had reached out to touch the wood.

"We already tried it," the girl informed quietly. The three still standing all looked down to the two on the ground.

"It's been cursed," the youngest explained in a high voice. "When Edward put his hand on it, it was as if electricity was shooting through his body. He fell to the ground and we haven't been able to wake him up." Ginny's blood went cold at the unexpectedness of his name. It nearly froze when she thought of what had almost just happened to her.

Ginny brought her face close to the unassuming planks of wood. It was only with her nose an inch away that she could smell the faint metallic tinge of magic. This was sophisticated work and obviously Dark. It did little to inspire her ever waning confidence. There was no way she was going to bring them out onto the main street, so they were left with one option.

"Alright troupes, we need to get moving. We're going to keep making our way behind the buildings towards the Shack. You," she gestured towards the boy.

"Callum," he offered.

"Callum," she repeated with a nod, "do you think you would be able to carry Edward?" she asked, trying her best to keep the last two syllables from choking her.

He went over to the unconscious boy and hoisted him onto his shoulders with the girls' help. He was straining slightly under the boy's weight though he was small for his age and Callum was fairly fit. _He's probably on his house's Quidditch team._

"Alright, as we move along Callum is going to stay in the middle of the group with Edward while—

"Morgan," the girl with Callum answered when Ginny looked to her.

"Clara," the youngest girl offered.

"Kati," was the last. Although originally the older girl had been more than wary, now she was just eager to be of service. For Ginny it was an unusual change to be the authority in a situation as this, even on missions she'd always had someone higher to report to. Fortunately though her instincts were accepting responsibility admirably and she felt reassured in her confidence. _As confident as one can feel at a time like this._

"Kati, Morgan, I want you two to grab the rear. You both will be protecting our flank and keeping an eye out for any unsavoury surprises. The last thing we want is someone catching us off guard." They both took their positions without question.

"Clara, you'll be up front with me. Have you ever Stunned anything before?" she asked, having a fairly muddy memory of what she'd been taught at Hogwarts and when. _This is war times though, students shouldn't have to rely on secret clubs to defend themselves. _

The girl looked embarrassed. "We don't start Stunning until next semester, but I can Disarm and I know how to paralyze someone."

"Those are both very useful to know and if it happens that we run into someone, that's exactly what you'll do." Ginny reassured even though she was aware that a grown witch or wizard could easily deflect both. She also knew that being underestimated could offer a huge advantage especially if their opponent was busy trying to defend themselves from three other wands.

"Okay, let's get going. Callum, do you think you'll be okay to jog?"

"I'll be fine." She had no way of telling whether he was over-exaggerating his strength, but she had no other choice but to take his word.

"Keep your eyes open and your wands up. We're out of here."

They set off at an easy pace, everyone staying far as possible from the fence. Ginny wasn't happy to be taking them back around the burning buildings, but that was the direction they had to go. She would have rather moved a little more quickly, but there was nothing to do about that either.

Making their way along, Hogsmeade grew silent. Any sounds from the scattered duels she'd seen a few minutes ago had stopped. She was forced to consider that the last of the very few villagers had been defeated. The implications were unfavourable as it meant the remaining Death Eaters would be on the prowl.

As they got nearer to the burning buildings they could hear the eerie screams of incinerating wood. There was a roar followed by agonizing creaks, as if the very structure were crying out. Then, almost as if they were watching in slow motion, the back of the first house splintered and began to cave in on itself. Without support, the roof cracked in two, sliding off the upper level and bringing down with it most of the second story. The burning wreckage hit the ground a distance in front of them, sending an explosion of violent sparks and glowing timbre in their path. They halted.

"What are we going to do?" Clara asked weakly. _That's a good question, _Ginny admitted as she still had no answer.

Motioning for them all to stay behind her, she crept towards the fire. The blockage was hardly more than four feet though the blaze reached well over their heads. Getting them all through would be near impossible. She bit her tongue to hold back the string of curses threatening to spill out. She knew how important it was to keep her composure with the four of them looking to her for guidance.

Soon the heat was too much to handle so she stopped them just on the outside of the consuming glow. They bathed in the warmth it offered while relishing the chance to catch their breath. She kept an eye on Callum to make sure he wasn't overburdened with his charge but he was no worse off than the others. Only Clara seemed to be struggling, though not by a remarkable gap. Ginny used that time to weigh their limited options: go back the way they came or leave the back pathway and make towards the street. Neither was reassuring. The likelihood of Death Eaters coming round the way they came from increased every minute. She didn't even feel comfortable stopping for those few moments but moving out to the street was just as risky.

"Could we put the flames out and cross over top?" Callum asked between sharp inhales.

"It would take too long and they would see the steam before we got through," Kati replied. Ginny nodded her agreement, seeing in this girl the makings of a capable agent.

"Let me think for a moment," Ginny requested, rapidly flipping through every inch of their environment. They were pressed between three terrible fates and there was no way to avoid them all. _Burn, cursed or tortured... When _I_ was in school, I thought exams were bad. _"Okay, if we have to, we are—EVERYONE DOWN!" she screamed at the sudden glimpse of a drawn wand through the wreck.

A flash of blue light parted the smoke. With the second's warning, it missed their heads by a finger.

As she scrambled back to her feet, Kati and Morgan both cried out "Behind!"

Ginny whipped around to see two robbed figures closing in on them from the rear. _Hera be damned! _Kati was quick to send a volley of hexes towards them while Morgan put up a protective shield. Clara was busy helping Callum untangle himself from Edward so Ginny turned round to engage the masked man on the other side of the blockage. They were being ambushed in the most unforgiving of places, but Ginny was quick to adapt. Dodging another of his curses, she threw out a devastating Reductor Curse. Instead of aiming it at her opponent, she hit the smouldering remains between them, dousing him in a raging shower of agony. She watched as his cloak caught fire and him struggle frantically to free himself.

The two behind were pressing in with every break in Kati's onslaught. Morgan's face was covered in sweat from the strain of maintaining her magic for so long and Ginny knew she was ready to cave.

"_Protego!" _she cast as Morgan let go of her spell. She saw Callum move to grab hold of her but he couldn't risk letting go of Edward and his wand.

"Start moving up the alley, we're going out to the street," she ordered, practically pushing them backwards with her left arm. All other options were gone. "Kati, I want you to move in front towards the other entrance. You need to keep any of them from cornering us between the buildings."

Piercing screams filled the air. It seemed the man hadn't freed himself from his cloak in time.

The younger girl twitched her head in understanding, no energy to spare for words. She'd done an impressive job of holding the two back though her spells were slowing and they were taking too much ground. Ginny didn't dare let them trap the six of them in that tight space.

Pivoting into the passage hardly wide enough for two side by side, Ginny planted her feet firmly.

The pair of them had clearly not been expecting her to strike out so powerfully and were too slow to step up their techniques. After only a few moments she managed to hit the one on the left just enough to send him crashing backwards into the fence. He hit the wood hard then was thrown back violently, falling to the ground in convulsions. His partner didn't even spare him a glance. _Talk about loyalty..._

With the fight evened out it wasn't long for Ginny to get the upper hand. His magic, though advanced and dangerous, was obvious and predictable. At last she grazed his arm with a Stunner, paralyzing his upper left body. His wand arm continued with a flourish of attacks while the other hung limply at his side.

A shout came from a ways behind followed by Kati calling out a hex. Callum's own voice joining the defence. _I need to finish this,_ she thought adamantly.

"Morgan," she called to the girl still near her. She rushed over to Ginny's side, not entirely recovered but ready to act. "On three I want you to Stun him" she explained from the corner of her mouth.

"_Stupefy!" _they called out simultaneously after her quiet count down. With his deteriorating defense he'd had no chance of blocking both attacks. Instead, he fell backwards over his partner's body, narrowly avoiding the same fate.

Ginny didn't stop to celebrate their victory. She turned round pulling Morgan, who was so shocked at having successfully cursed a Death Eater, with her to catch up with the others at the other end.

"_Confringo!" _she cast between Kati and Callum's shoulders. Both jumped at her unexpected approach. Her Blasting Curse sent the single Death Eater through the air. He landed with a harsh _thump _across the road.

Before he could scramble back to his feet, Ginny screamed out "_Rictusempra!" _and he collapsed again in an uncontrollable fit of violent laughter.

She gave a quick appraisal of how the kids were faring. Kati was gasping for breath while Clara wheezed at her side. Callum struggled beneath his load while Morgan kept tight to his side. _They aren't going to make it, _she despaired with her accustomed cynicism before she could help it. _They're just kids... but so was I. _She hadn't been much older than fourteen when she'd come face to face with the Death Eaters in the Department of Ministries. She hadn't even finished her seventh year when the war began. _Childhood is a luxury that we soon won't be able to afford._

"Let's move."

They took off at a quick walk. Ginny would have liked to stay close to the boardwalk in front of the shops, but the fire made their passage on this side just as impossible. They made their way to the middle of the street.

At that point the wind began to pick up, feeding the flames while smoke, ash and sparks danced about the air around them. The two girls up front began to cough and even Ginny had to pull her collar up to cover her nose and mouth. The smoke, though concealing them as they moved out in the open, also limited their view of the surrounding area.

They slowed to a cautious gait, Kati and Morgan leading the group while Ginny walked backwards, guarding their rear.

Before she even had time to turn, the curse rang out and screams ripped apart the silence as one of the girls up front fell to the ground, body contorting in agony. Ginny caught sight of a leering skeletal mask through the smoke. She sent another Blasting Curse towards them, but failed to connect with the target. Mocking laughter filled the air around them. Clara screamed in fright. Several voices joined in the chorus; they were surrounded by as many as five.

They huddle in around Morgan. Ginny could feel Callum shaking with rage beside her. She glanced down to see her curled in a fetal position in the cold mud. Her heart clenched for the girl, knowing full well from experience just how shattering the Cruciatus Curse was on both mind and body.

"You need to stay put," she said to him when he dropped Edward down next to Morgan.

"I'm going to kill them," he hissed, arm clenched tight with his wand raised. She saw his eyes dart back and forth, trying hard to match a shadow to the voices. There was no fear there.

She understood perfectly well the inextinguishable desire for vengeance that raced through the blood after seeing a loved one hurt. More than she ever cared too, but experience taught her the consequences of giving into rashness. It was clearly something the Death Eaters were looking to expose.

"Are you just going to stand there and do nothing, boy?" came a jeering whisper to their right. Ginny and Kati both threw hexes in that direction but hit nothing.

"Letting the girls fight while you cower behind?" This time it was to Ginny's left. Momentarily distracted, she hardly got her shield up in time to block the curse from her right. She heard another scream from behind her.

"Callum, no!"

Clara broke down in horrified sobs as Callum broke from their circle towards his taunter.

"_Stupefy! Stupefy!_ _Stupefy!_" he cried, sending a rapid volley of Stunners into the dark. Moody's voice filled her head with his lectures on the importance of conserving energy in the field, but she had no time to pass it along to Callum. From her right once more came two simultaneous curses from two individual attackers. They both hit her shield so hard she was physically pushed back into Clara who stumbled then fell.

"_Petrificus Totalus! Confringo! Expelliarmus!" _came Kati's voice from Callum's side. The two were barely holding their own when Callum took a devastating Cutting Curse to his wand arm. By then their two opponents had pressed in so close they were visible mere feet away.

"Ginny!" Kati screamed as the two closed in on her.

"_Crucio!" _she growled, whipping the Unforgivable into the shadows. It was her second time ever casting an Unforgivable and she was repelled down to her very soul, but even Death Eaters felt an innate fear of the Cruciatus Curse. As the two withdrew in hesitation, Ginny spun, calling out "_Aguamenti!" _A jet of water poured from her wand, cutting through the smoke and dousing Kati's ambushers. The force of the spell and angle she hit them from knocked them off their feet.

"_Petrificus Totalus!"_

_ "Incarcerous!" _

From Ginny's wand ropes appeared and wrapped around the nearest of her victims while Kati used a full body-bind on the other.

Callum's arm hung limply at his side while he attempted to cast with his left. His spells were feeble and his aim shaky, but as it stood, he was the third best she had.

"You two need to stay close to me or I swear this muddy patch of Hogsmeade will be the last place you ever see." There was no time for false optimism.

The wind picked up once more and seemed to clear much of the smoke. By now the buildings had burnt down to the first level, nearly to the foundations. Ginny spotted a clearing behind them through a renewed gust of sparks. She considered telling Kati and Callum to run for it, but she couldn't leave the two wounded and one traumatized kids. Splitting up was simply not an option.

Ginny felt a chill up her spine as one of the remaining Death Eaters circling them began to sing. "_Ring-a-ring of roses, a pocket full of posies." _the rest of them tittered in the shadows, letting themselves be seen for just a moment before slinking back into the dark. "_Ashes to ashes..." _She tried desperately to follow his voice with her wand but the buildings had burnt so low that the light was dim and waxy. Their dark cloaks absorbed the night. "_You all fall down."_

She whipped around to her left to follow the voice closing in on her when a force so strong collided with her from behind. It was as if she'd been struck by a brick wall. She was lifted clean off her feet and thrown nearly five meters. Her back hit the ground so hard she couldn't breathe. Her body was in such a shock that she really thought she might be paralyzed.

Just as her vision finally cleared of all the blinking lights, a huge shadow loomed over her. She sluggishly tried to raise the wand that she'd miraculously managed to keep hold of when a boot kicked her wrist so hard she thought it had broken. She tried to call out but her throat closed tight as the immense calloused hand wrapped around her neck. Her whole body slid out of the mud as he dragged her off the ground by her throat with his one hand. She tried to claw at his meaty fingers. Only the sharp pain in her right wrist keeping her from slipping out of consciousness.

He lifted her straight off the ground, slamming her head against the wooden siding of the shop she'd landed in front of. She didn't need to hear his voice to recognize him as the hulking man who'd stopped her when she was disguised. It was unlikely Voldemort had two such monsters in his rank.

Her feet dangled limply as he pressed his masked face up to hers. She could hardly focus on his cold brown eyes. His hot breath on her face was so revolting she nearly gagged. There came a commotion of screams from the group she'd been separated from but her depravation of air was her foremost concern.

"You've put up quite a fight, little girl, but it's time to let go," he whispered seductively. He sounded far away but his tightening fingers were closer than ever. "I can see the life crawling out of your eyes."

"See this, asshole," she wheezed as her thumb slipped under his mask and into his eye socket. She pushed down hard.

_Eyeballs have the most unusual texture. _The giant howled in excruciating pain, throwing her sideways as he pressed both hands to his bleeding face.

She hit the ground once more, bruising her shoulder and ribs. She gasped so hard her lungs nearly burst. Oxygen flooded back into her brain. Rolling over onto her hands and knees, Ginny slowly crawled away from the thrashing half blind, wholly murderous beast of a man. She spotted her wand near his feet but his massive tree trunk legs were kicking out violently in a vain attempt to strike her. He was screaming vicious obscenities towards her as she shakily made it to her feet.

"Over here, big boy," she called tauntingly, ignoring the pain of her aching throat. He responded just as she wanted him to, charging in a fit of rage so powerful his momentum would have knocked her flat. Instead, she threw herself under his outstretched arms. She dove for her wand, using her own momentum to roll onto her back. Since he was so large a Stunner might not knock him out so she hit him in the back with a leg-locker curse. His shins snapped together as his arms waved about almost comically for a brief second before the inevitable happened. _The bigger they are, _she couldn't resist thinking to herself as his hulking mass hit the ground. She wasted no time launching her battered body back to her feet, careful not to get near him. His attempts to pull apart his legs with his own hands made her wonder whether he was unarmed or simply so distracted he couldn't think to take his wand out. Either way, Ginny petrified him without another thought.

She sprinted back to the group to help Kati, the only one still putting up a real fight. Callum had lost a lot of blood and could hardly keep his wand up. Kati was in the midst of holding the two others back with a protective charm, though she was on her last legs. The girl had strength, she was a fighter, but all that was almost gone.

It was only then that Ginny realized someone was missing. "Where's Clara?" she croaked, adding her own shield to Kati's. By the time she got to their side, Kati collapsed to her knees.

"They grabbed her," Callum replied weakly. "Someone came from behind and took her." His eyes were glassy and unfocused, his skin a sickly white. The slice in his arm needed to be bandaged or he was going to bleed out.

For the first time, Ginny didn't have a single idea. Her magic was the only thing between them and the two Death Eaters. If they got through, her own death might be certain, but she now knew the fates of those kids would be even worse.

She heard Kati throwing up near her feet, but could do nothing to comfort the girl, save continue to keep them away from her, from all of them.

"Looks like your friends have failed you!" the man on the right jeered as he hit her shield with a Blasting Curse.

"You think you can keep us back? I can see you shaking from here!" a woman's voice laughed from beneath the androgynous mask. She wasn't wrong. Ginny may have been a trained field agent, but it had been years since her body had suffered through this kind of exertion. Every inch of her was in one pain or another, while her mind was so distressed she couldn't think of anything other than the absolute present. Even Clara's abduction was just a distant misery.

"And then there were two!" the woman called out gleefully to her partner. Callum had just fainted. Kati continued to dry heave next to her. She was whispering something between breaths that Ginny couldn't hear but she could tell the girl was crying. _And probably praying._

_I can't believe this is how it all ends, _she thought grimly, knowing her energy could only sustain the full shield for a few minutes longer. Her mind drifted to her family, her friends and everyone in the Order. They would find her body once the Auror's got into the village. _Kingsley will have to tell my father... _

Two more curses hit her shield, pushing her feet back in the mud. The air had gotten even colder since she'd been waiting outside the Hog's Head, but still she was covered in sweat. She could feel the lactic acid coursing through her system as her muscles all clenched painfully under the strain. _Even my body is turning against me._

"Who do you want to play with first?" the woman asked cheerfully to the man next to her.

"You know how much I love a redhead, their spirits are so full of fire."

"Well this one here looks nearly burnt out, we might have to find you another." Their spells weren't coming any slower; there was no chance either would tire before she did. The acrid taste of bile crept up her bruised throat. It was only a matter of moments before she was on her knees heaving.

It was then, just as she was about to give in to her own demise, many things happened at once. The street around her exploded in many flashes of light and for a moment she actually thought she was dying.

The night air was filled with distinct _cracks _as a wall of noise rushed towards her.

"Weasley!" She could have sworn she heard her name called out as she felt herself falling. She never hit the ground.

Someone was holding her, talking to her, but she couldn't gather her senses together fast enough to make sense of anything.

"Ginny, it's alright," someone reassured and for a moment she wondered if she'd gone insane. It took a few minutes before she regained full consciousness and found herself in the arms of her friend Agent Dunn.

She couldn't help laugh as tears poured from her eyes.

"Ginny, what the hell happened?" he asked desperately, clearly concerned for the mental wellbeing of his temporarily dismissed partner. The street was now crowded with what looked like a total of three Auror teams freshly Apparated. It would seem the wards had been deactivated.

"Death Eaters," she coughed, "they were after the kids. Don't know how many are left."

She turned her head, too exhausted to even move the rest of her body. A medi-witch was mending Callum's arm while another knelt over Edward's body, wand out whispering enchantments under her breath. She thought to tell her what had happened to the boy, but for the moment she felt disconnected from her body. An Auror was talking slowly to Kati, who could barely nod in response.

The rest of the Auror's had spread out and were looking for survivors, bodies or leftover Death Eaters. The ones she and Kati had taken down in the street had been gone long before the Aurors had shown up, likely taken from the scene by their accomplices. The pair who'd most recently been trying to kill her most certainly Disapparated the moment they saw their wards were down and the Aurors arrive on scene. _Late as always, _she couldn't help the bitterness but had to admit they truly did arrive just in time. _For us, at least._

There were so many things crashing about her head: the realization that she wasn't just about to be murdered, that she let one of the kids she was responsible for be abducted and—

"Dunn, there's something you need to see."

"Ginny, whatever it is, it can wait. I need to get a medi-witch to take a look at you. It looks as if you've taken quite the beating."

She struggled against him in an attempt to sit up. "Peyton, this is too important."

He looked at her skeptically before helping her up. Her first few steps were too feeble to take by herself, so he threw her arm around his shoulder and helped her along. She took a quick assessment of her various aches and pains and it was only a small comfort to discover her wrist had in fact not been broken. Just by pressing her finger tips to where she'd been grabbed around the neck told her that bruises were already forming. Her various tumbles had left more around her body, while the toll of her exertions made her head ache so sharply she felt as if her brain were expanding against her skull. All in all, she was alive and that was more than she could have hoped to expect.

Ginny led Peyton Dunn up the road towards the Hog's Head. She caught sight of a number of Auror's she recognized, though all were too preoccupied to give the two of them a second glance. Dunn hesitated when she turned to lead him down the narrow passage between buildings that she'd been dragged through what seemed like years ago. She grimaced at the evidence of spell damage on the buildings. _It's a miracle I'm still here._

"Ginny, where are you taking me?"

"Inside, come on," she continued, leading him up the steps and into the house.

When they got to the entrance to the kitchen, Ginny stopped him. It was only fair he had some semblance of warning before seeing the shell of a man that had long been his close friend.

"Peyton, you need to believe me when I say he's been through more than you can possibly imagine."

"Who? What are you talking about?" he took his wand out despite her assurance that there was no danger.

Ginny had run out of words. Instead she led him into the kitchen where Edward was sitting, right where she'd left him, tied up against the wall next to a bloody chair spindle.

"Dear Merlin," Dunn whispered once he recognized his lost friend. "Ed?" dropping to his knees he took Edward's pulse then inspected the bandages covering his head wound. It showed a little spotting of blood, but otherwise he seemed unchanged.

"What did they do to him?" he asked softly, though Ginny hadn't the heart to tell it all to him just then.

He reached a tentative hand out to touch the material of his cloak as if unsure whether he was really there.

"Look at his chest," she whispered, the atmosphere of the house so grim neither seemed to want to break the silence.

He pulled back the tattered material as she had done earlier. Like her, his hand shot back with a jolt.

For a while the house was still.

"Was that what I think it is?"

Ginny nodded, leaning against the wall in support.

"Those are werewolf bites, Ginny." She'd known it too the moment she'd seen the scars. Her own brother had similar scars on his body.

"Is he… will he?" he couldn't even put the question into words.

"I'm not sure, I only saw the untransformed bites, but Peyton… look at the size of the marks."

He forced himself to move the shirt back away from his chest. "No," he said in disbelief. "No, not even _they_ are capable of this."

"Look at how small they are. Those are a child's teeth marks."

The horror in his eyes was reflected back in her own. They finally knew what Voldemort had done to the missing children.

**TBC**

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><p><span>Author's note:<span> for the love of magic that was a tough one to write. Something about long fight scenes… hopefully it was all to your satisfactions for those of you still keeping up with the story AND any newcomers :) You now see why I had to split the two chapters apart, because this was so much longer than I expected it to be. This half of the chapter was long enough it could have been split into two as well, but I'm not that cruel. Anyhoo, hope you liked the action and the little twisty-twist at the end. Things are really picking up now! Please leave a review, because they give me all kinds of warm fuzzies and also let me know that there are people out there with an interest in my little story! Until next time, readers!


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